Azaindole derivatives as kinase inhibitors

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to compounds of the general formula (I) in which the variable groups are as defined herein, and to their preparation and use.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §371 of International Application No. PCT/US2009/006520 (published PCT application no. WO 2010/068292), filed Dec. 11, 2009, which claims priority to 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/201,622, filed Dec. 12, 2008, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The protein kinases represent a large family of proteins which play a central role in the regulation of a wide variety of cellular processes and maintain control over cellular function. A partial, non limiting, list of such kinases includes ALK, abl, Akt, bcr-abl, Blk, Brk, c-kit, c-met, c-src, CDK1, CDK2, CDK3, CDK4, CDK5, CDK6, CDK7, CDK8, CDK9, CDK10, bRaf, cRaf1, CSK, EGFR, ErbB2, ErbB3, ErbB4, Erk, Pak, fes, FGFR1, FGFR2, FGFR3, FGFR4, FGFR5, Fgr, flt-1, flt-3, Fps, Frk, Fyn, Hck, IGF-1R, INS-R, Jak1, Jak2, Jak3, KDR, Lck, Lyn, FAK, MEK, p38, PDGFR, PIK, PKC, PYK2, ros, tie, tie2, Pim-1, P13k, TRK and Zap70. Abnormal protein kinase activity has been related to several disorders, ranging from non-life threatening diseases such as psoriasis to extremely serious diseases such as cancers.

In view of this large number of protein kinases and the multitude of protein kinase-related diseases, there is an ever-existing need to provide new classes of compounds with increased selectivity that are useful as protein kinase inhibitors and therefore useful in the treatment of protein tyrosine-kinase related diseases.

This invention concerns a new family of Azaindole compounds and their use in treating cancers and other diseases.

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

1. General Description of Compounds of the Invention

The compounds of this invention have a broad range of useful biological and pharmacological activities, permitting their use in pharmaceutical compositions and methods for treating cancer (including lymphoma, solid tumors and leukemia among other cancers), including, also among others, advanced cases and cases which are resistant or refractory to one or more other treatments.

Included are compounds of Formula I, and a tautomer and a pharmaceutically acceptable salt and a solvate thereof:

-   -   wherein     -   Ring A is a 6-membered heteroaryl ring, comprising carbon atoms         and 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms; Ring A is substituted with Ring C at         position 1 or at position 2, and Ring A is optionally         substituted with 1 or 2 R^(a) groups;     -   Ring B is a 5-membered heteroaryl ring, comprising carbon atoms         and 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms;     -   L¹ is C(O), CR⁴R⁵ or a bond;     -   X is O or NR⁴;     -   Ring C is an aryl, a 3- to 8-membered carbocyclyl or a 5-, 6- or         7-membered heterocyclic or heteroaryl ring comprising carbon         atoms and 1-4 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, P(O)         and S(O)_(r); Ring C is optionally substituted on carbon or on         the heteroatom(s) with 1-5 R^(c) groups; and Ring C has a         multiple point of attachment and can be attached to either the         depicted position 1 of Ring A or the depicted position 2 of Ring         A;     -   Ring D is an aryl or a 5- or 6-membered heteroaryl ring         comprising carbon atoms and 1 to 4 heteroatoms independently         selected from O, N and S, and Ring D is optionally substituted         with 1 to 5 R^(d) groups;     -   R^(a) and R^(d) are independently selected from the group         consisting of halo, —CN, —NO₂, —R¹, —OR², —O—NR¹R², —NR¹R²,         —NR¹—NR¹R², —NR¹—OR², —C(O)YR², —OC(O)YR², —NR¹C(O)YR²,         —SC(O)YR², —NR¹C(═S)YR², —OC(═S)YR², —C(═S)YR², —YC(═NR¹)YR²,         —YC(═N—OR¹)YR², —YC(═N—NR¹R²)YR², —YP(═O)(YR³)(YR³), —Si(R³)₃,         —NR¹SO₂R², —S(O)_(r)R², —SO₂NR¹R² and —NR¹SO₂NR¹R²;     -   R^(c) is R^(a) or ═O or ═S;     -   or alternatively two adjacent R^(a) moieties, two adjacent R^(c)         moieties or two adjacent R^(d) moieties can form with the atoms         to which they are attached a 5-, 6- or 7-membered saturated,         partially saturated or unsaturated ring, optionally substituted;         and which contains 0-4 heteroatoms selected from N, O, P(O) and         S(O)_(r);     -   r is 0, 1 or 2;     -   n is 0, 1 or 2;     -   p is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5;     -   s is 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5;     -   each occurrence of Y is independently a bond, —O—, —S— or —NR¹—;     -   each occurrence of R¹ and R² is independently selected from H,         alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl,         aryl, heterocyclic and heteroaryl;     -   each occurrence of R³ is independently selected from alkyl,         alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, aryl,         heterocyclic and heteroaryl;     -   R⁴ and R⁵ are independently selected from H or a C₁₋₆alkyl;     -   alternatively, each NR¹R² moiety may be a 5-, 6- or 7-membered         saturated, partially saturated or unsaturated ring, which can be         optionally substituted and which contains 0-3 additional         heteroatoms selected from N, O, P(O) and S(O)_(r); and     -   each of the foregoing alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl,         cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl and heterocyclic         moiety is optionally substituted.

The foregoing definitions are further elaborated upon and exemplified below and apply to all subsequent occurrences except to the extent otherwise specified.

2. Featured Classes of Compounds and their Use, Generally

One class of compounds which is of special interest for use in this invention are compounds of Formula I in which X is O. This class is illustrated by compounds of Formula II:

Another class of compounds of special interest are compounds of Formula I which X is NR⁴. This class is illustrated by compounds of Formula III:

In one embodiment are compounds of Formulae I, II or III in which Ring A has the following formulae:

In one embodiment Ring C is attached to position 2 of Ring A.

In another embodiment, Ring C is attached to position 1 of Ring A.

In another embodiment are compounds of Formulae I, II, III or other previously described classes in which Ring B has the following formulae:

In one particular embodiment of interest, Ring B is a pyrolle.

In another embodiment of interest, Ring B is a pyrazole or an imidazole.

One class of compounds which is of special interest for use in this invention are compounds of Formulae I, II or III in which Ring A is pyridine. This class of compound is illustrated by compounds of Formula IV:

in which variable Rings B, C and D, X, L¹, R^(a), R^(c) and R^(d), n, s and p are as defined above in part 1.

Of further interest are compounds of Formulae IV in which Ring C is attached to position 2 of Ring A. This class of compounds is illustrated by compounds of Formula IVA:

Non limiting examples of this embodiment include compounds of formula IVA of the following type:

Of other interest are compounds of Formulae IV in which Ring C is attached to position 1 of Ring A. This class is illustrated by compounds of Formula IVB:

Non limiting examples of this embodiment include compounds of formula IVB of the following type:

In one particular embodiment are compounds of Formulae IV, IVA and IVB in which X is O. In another embodiment of interest are compounds of Formulae IV, IVA and IVB in which X is NR⁴.

In another embodiment of this invention, Ring A is a pyrazine. This class is illustrated by compounds of Formula V:

Of further interest are compounds of Formula V in which Ring C is attached to position 2 of Ring A. This class of compounds is illustrated by compounds of Formula VA:

Of other interest are compounds of Formula V in which Ring C is attached to position 1 of Ring A. This class is illustrated by compounds of Formula VB:

In one particular embodiment are compounds of Formulae V, VA and VB in which X is O.

In another embodiment of interest are compounds of Formulae V, VA and VB in which X is NR⁴.

Non limiting examples of this embodiment include compounds of formulae V, VA and VB of the following type:

For the previously described classes and subclasses of compounds, as in all compounds of the invention, Rings B, C and D, X, L¹, R^(a), R^(c) and R^(d), n, s and p are defined as in part 1.

In one embodiment are compounds of Formulae I, II, III, IV, IVA, IVB, V, VA, VB or any other classes and subclasses of this invention in which Ring C is an aryl optionally substituted with 1 to 5 R^(c) groups.

R^(c) is as defined previously in part 1. Of additional interest is a class of compounds as described above in which R^(c) is selected from the group consisting of —R¹, —S(O)₂NR¹R², —S(O)₂R¹, —C(O)NR¹R², halo, —OR¹, —NR¹R², —NR¹C(O)R², —C(O)R², —P(O)(R³)₂. In another subclass of interest, are compounds of the above embodiment in which R^(c) is Cl, F, CF₃, —S(O)₂alkyl, —S(O)₂NHalkyl, —S(O)₂NH₂, —O-alkyl, optionally substituted alkyl, heterocyclyl, heteroaryl, aryl or —P(O)(alkyl)₂. Non limiting examples of substituted alkyl are —(CH₂)_(z)C(═O)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(z)NHC(═O)R², —(CH₂)_(z)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(z)C(═O)OR¹, —(CH₂)_(z)heterocyclyl, —(CH₂)_(z)aryl, —(CH₂)_(z)heteroaryl, —(CH₂)_(z)S(═O)₂NR¹R² or —(CH₂)_(z)S(═O)₂R¹, in which z is 1, 2, 3 or 4 and alkyl include straight (i.e. unbranched or acyclic), branched and cyclic alkyl groups and alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl groups are optionally substituted.

In one particular aspect of the above embodiment, Ring C is a phenyl substituted with 1-5 R^(c). Illustrative examples of Phenyl moieties substituted with R^(c) are:

In another embodiment are compounds of any of the above Formulae or any other classes and subclasses of this invention in which Ring C is a 5-, 6- or 7-membered heterocyclyl ring comprising carbon atoms and 1-4 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, P(O) and S(O)_(r), and Ring C is substituted on carbon or on the heteroatom(s) with 1-5 R^(c) groups. It is understood that the total number of substituents R^(c) does not exceed the normal available valencies.

Non-limiting examples of this class are compounds of any of formulae I to VB or of other previously described classes and subclasses in which Ring C is of the following types:

Non-limiting illustrative examples are compounds of the following formulae:

In another embodiment, Ring C is a 5-, or 6-membered heteroaryl ring comprising carbon atoms and 1-4 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N and S(O)_(r).

In one embodiment are compounds of any of the above Formulae in which Ring C is a 5-membered ring heteroaryl comprising carbon atoms and 1-4 Nitrogen atoms. Non-limiting examples of this class are compounds of the previous classes and subclasses in which Ring C is of the following types:

in which R^(c) and s are as previously defined. It is understood that the total number of substituents R^(c) does not exceed the normal available valencies.

In a particular aspect of this embodiment, Ring C has the following formulae:

R^(c) is as defined previously in part 1. Of additional interest is a class of compounds as described above in which R^(c) is selected from the group consisting of —R¹ and —C(O)YR². In another subclass of interest, are compounds of the above embodiment in which R^(c) is H, —C(O)R², —C(O)NR¹R², an aryl, heteroaryl, optionally substituted alkyl or heterocyclyl. Non limiting examples of substituted alkyl are —(CH₂)_(z)C(═O)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(z)NHC(═O)R², —(CH₂)_(z)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(z)C(═O)OR¹, —(CH₂)_(z)heterocyclyl, —(CH₂)_(z)aryl, —(CH₂)_(z)heteroaryl in which z is 1, 2, 3 or 4 and alkyl include straight (i.e. unbranched or acyclic), branched and cyclic alkyl groups and alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl groups are optionally substituted.

Illustrative examples of such compounds include those in which substituent R^(c) is without limitation:

Other illustrative examples of this class include compounds in which Ring C is of the following types:

Non-limiting Illustrative examples of this class are compounds of the following formulae:

In other embodiments, Ring C is a 5-membered ring heteroaryl comprising carbon atoms and 1-4 Nitrogen atoms and the heteroaryl ring is linked to the core moiety via a nitrogen atom. Non-limiting examples include compounds of the previous classes and subclasses in which the N-linked Ring C has the following formulae:

in which R^(c) and s are as previously defined. It is understood that the total number of substituents R^(c) does not exceed the normal available valencies. Thus, for example, when Ring C is an N-linked pyrolle ring, it can be optionally substituted with 1 to 4 substituents (i.e. p is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4), whereas when Ring C is an N-linked pyrazole or an N-linked imidazole, it can only be optionally substituted with a maximum of 3 substituents (i.e. p is 0, 1, 2 or 3).

-   -   R^(c) is as defined previously in part 1. Of additional interest         is a class of compounds as described above in which R^(c) is         selected from the group consisting of —R¹, halo, —OR²,         —P(═O)(R³)₂, —NR¹R², —C(O)YR², —NR¹C(O)YR², —NR¹SO₂R²,         —S(O)_(r)R², —SO₂NR¹R² and —NR¹SO₂NR¹R². In another subclass of         interest, are compounds of the above embodiment in which R^(c)         is H, halo, an aryl, heteroaryl, alkyl or heterocyclyl. Non         limiting examples of R^(c) are H, —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)NR¹R²,         —(CH₂)_(y)NHC(═O)R², —(CH₂)_(y)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)heterocyclyl,         —(CH₂)_(y)aryl, —(CH₂)_(y)heteroaryl, NH-aryl, NH-heteroaryl and         NH-heterocyclyl; in which y is 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4 and alkyl include         straight (i.e. unbranched or acyclic), branched and cyclic alkyl         groups and alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl groups are         optionally substituted.

Illustrative non limiting examples of such compounds include compounds of any of the above Formulae in which Ring C is a triazole of the following formulae:

In another embodiment, Ring C is a pyrazole of the following formulae:

In another embodiment, Ring C is a tetrazole of the following formulae:

Non-limiting Illustrative examples of this class are compounds of the following formulae:

In another aspect of the previous embodiment, Ring C is a 5-membered ring heteroaryl comprising carbon atoms and 1-4 heteroatoms selected from N and O, Non limiting examples are compounds of any of the above formulae in which Ring C is of the following type:

in which s is defined previously and the total number of substituents R^(c) does not exceed the normal available valencies.

In a particular aspect of this embodiment, Ring C has the following formulae:

in which Ring C is substituted with one or two R^(c) substituents.

R^(c) is as defined previously in part 1. Of additional interest is a class of compounds as described above in which R^(c) is selected from the group consisting of —R¹, halo, —P(═O)(R³)₂, —OR², —NR¹R², —C(O)YR², —NR¹C(O)YR², —NR¹SO₂R², —S(O)_(r)R², —SO₂NR¹R² and —NR¹SO₂NR¹R². In another subclass of interest, are compounds of the above embodiment in which R^(c) is H, halo, NHC(O)R¹, NHC(O)NR¹R², C(O)NHR¹, C(O)NR¹R², NR¹R², an aryl, heteroaryl, substituted alkyl or heterocyclyl. Non limiting examples of R^(c) are —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)NHC(═O)R², —(CH₂)_(y)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)OR², —(CH₂)_(y)heterocyclyl, —(CH₂)_(y)aryl, —(CH₂)_(y)heteroaryl, NH-aryl, NH-heteroaryl and NH-heterocyclyl,

—(CH₂)_(m)P(═O)(alkyl)₂; in which y and m are independently selected from 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 and alkyl include straight (i.e. unbranched or acyclic), branched and cyclic alkyl groups and alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl groups are optionally substituted.

Non-limiting examples of this class include compounds of any of the above formulae in which Ring C is:

Specific, non-limiting illustrative examples of this class include compounds of any of the above formulae in which substituted Ring C is of the following formulae:

Non-limiting Illustrative examples of this class are compounds of the following formulae:

In another specific embodiment, Ring C is a 5-membered heteroaryl comprising carbon atoms and 1-3 heteroatoms selected from N and S.

in which s is defined previously and the total number of substituents R^(c) does not exceed the normal available valencies.

Of particular interest is a class of compounds as described above in which R^(c) is selected from the group consisting of —R¹, halo, —P(═O)(R³)₂, —OR², —NR¹R², —C(O)YR², —NR¹C(O)YR², —NR¹SO₂R², —S(O)_(r)R², —SO₂NR¹R² and —NR¹SO₂NR¹R². In another subclass of interest, are compounds of the above embodiment in which R^(c) is H, halo, —NHC(O)R¹, —C(O)NHR¹, —C(O)NR¹R², —NHC(O)NHR¹, —NR¹R², an aryl, heteroaryl, substituted alkyl or heterocyclyl. Non limiting examples of R^(c) are —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)NHC(═O)R², —(CH₂)_(y)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)OR², —SO₂NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)SR², —CH₂)_(y)heterocyclyl, —(CH₂)_(y)aryl, —(CH₂)_(y)heteroaryl, NH-aryl, NH-heteroaryl, NH-heterocyclyl and —(CH₂)_(m)P(═O)(alkyl)₂; in which y and m are independently selected from 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 and alkyl include straight (i.e. unbranched or acyclic), branched and cyclic alkyl groups and alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl groups are optionally substituted.

Non-limiting examples of this class include compounds of any of the above formulae in which Ring C is:

Specific, non-limiting illustrative examples of this class include compounds of any of the above formulae in which substituted Ring C is of the following formulae:

Non-limiting Illustrative examples of this class are compounds of the following formulae:

Other non-limiting examples include compounds of any of the above formulae in which Ring C is furan or thiofuran:

in which s is defined previously and the total number of substituents R^(c) does not exceed the normal available valencies.

Specific, non-limiting illustrative examples of this class include compounds of any of the above formulae in which substituted Ring C is of the following formulae:

Non-limiting Illustrative examples of this class are compounds of the following formulae:

In another embodiment, Ring C is a 6-membered heteroaryl ring.

In one aspect of this embodiment, Ring C is a pyrimidine of the following types:

in which s is as previously described and the total number of substituents R^(c) does not exceed the normal available valencies.

Of particular interest is a class of compounds as described above in which R^(c) is selected from the group consisting of —R¹, halo, —P(═O)(R³)₂, —OR², —NR¹R², —C(O)YR², —NR¹C(O)YR², —NR¹SO₂R², —S(O)_(r)R², —SO₂NR¹R² and —NR¹SO₂NR¹R². In another subclass of interest, are compounds of the above embodiment in which R^(c) is H, halo, NHC(O)R¹, NHC(O)NHR¹, C(O)NHR¹, C(O)NR¹R², NR¹R², an aryl, heteroaryl, substituted alkyl or heterocyclyl. Non limiting examples of R^(c) are H, halo, —OCH₂CH₂NR¹R², —OCH₂C(O)NR¹R², —NR¹C(O)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)NHC(═O)R², —(CH₂)_(y)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)OR², —SO₂NR¹R², —SO₂R², —(CH₂)_(y)SR², —(CH₂)_(y)heterocyclyl, —(CH₂)_(y)aryl, —(CH₂)_(y)heteroaryl, NH-aryl, NH-heteroaryl, NH-heterocyclyl and —(CH₂)_(m)P(═O)(alkyl)₂; in which y and m are independently selected from 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 and alkyl include straight (i.e. unbranched or acyclic), branched and cyclic alkyl groups and alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl groups are optionally substituted.

Non-limiting examples of this class are compounds of any of the above formulae in which Ring C is:

Specific, non-limiting illustrative examples of this class include compounds of any of the above formulae in which substituted Ring C is of the following formulae:

Non-limiting Illustrative examples of this class are compounds of the following formulae:

In another embodiment, Ring C is a pyridine substituted with 1-4 R^(c). Of particular interest is a class of compounds as described above in which R^(c) is selected from the group consisting of —R¹, halo, —P(═O)(R³)₂, —OR², —NR¹R², —NR¹C(O)R², —NR¹SO₂R², —SO₂NR¹R² and SO₂R². In another subclass of interest, are compounds of the above embodiment in which R^(c) is H, halo, —NHC(O)R², —NR¹R⁴, an aryl, heteroaryl, substituted alkyl or heterocyclyl. Non limiting examples of R^(c) are H, —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)aryl, —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)heteroaryl, —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)heterocyclyl, —(CH₂)_(y)NHC(═O)R², —(CH₂)_(y)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)OR², —(CH₂)_(y)S(O)R², —(CH₂)_(y)S(O)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)heterocyclyl, —(CH₂)_(y)aryl, —(CH₂)_(y)heteroaryl, NH-aryl, NH-heteroaryl, NH-heterocyclyl and —(CH₂)_(m)P(═O)(alkyl)₂, in which y and m are independently selected from 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4; and alkyl include straight (i.e. unbranched or acyclic), branched and cyclic alkyl groups and alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl groups are optionally substituted.

Non-limiting examples of this class are compounds of any of the above formulae in which Ring C is:

Specific, non-limiting illustrative examples of this class include compounds of any of the above formulae in which substituted Ring C is of the following formulae:

Non-limiting Illustrative examples of this class are compounds of the following formulae:

In another embodiment, Ring C is a pyrazine substituted with 1-3 R^(c): Non-limiting examples of this class of compounds in which Ring C is:

Specific, non-limiting illustrative examples of this class include compounds of any of the above formulae in which substituted Ring C is of the following formulae:

Non-limiting Illustrative examples of this class are compounds of the following formulae:

In another embodiment, Ring C is a triazine substituted with 1 to 2 R^(c) groups. Examples include compounds in which Ring C has the following formulae:

in which s is defined previously and the number of substituents R^(c) does not exceed the maximum available valencies, which in the triazine case s is 0, 1 or 2.

In one embodiment, two R^(c) groups form with the atoms to which they are attached, a 5- or 6- or 7-membered saturated, partially saturated or unsaturated ring, which contains 0-4 heteroatoms selected from N, O, P(O) and S(O)_(r); and the resulting fused ring system is optionally substituted. Non-Limiting examples include compounds of all the above Formulae or of all classes and subclasses of this invention in which Ring C has the following formulae:

and the depicted fused ring systems are optionally substituted with R, which is selected from the group consisting of halo, —CN, —NO₂, —R¹, —OR², —O—NR¹R², —NR¹R², —NR¹—NR¹R², —NR¹—OR², —C(O)YR², —OC(O)YR², —NR¹C(O)YR², —SC(O)YR², —NR¹C(═S)YR², —OC(═S)YR², —C(═Os)YR², —YC(═NR¹)YR², —YC(═N—OR¹)YR², —YC(═N—NR¹R²)YR², —YP(═O)(YR³)(YR³), —Si(R³)₃, —NR¹SO₂R², —S(O)_(r)R², —SO₂NR¹R² and —NR¹SO₂NR¹R², in which R¹, R², R³, Y and r are previously defined.

Additionally the depicted hydrogen of these fused ring system can also be replaced by a R group; or the nitrogen bearing the depicted hydrogen can be the point of attachment to the core molecule (i.e the nitrogen is attached to Ring A and the depicted hydrogen is therefore absent).

Specific, non-limiting illustrative examples of this class include compounds of all the above formulae or of any other classes and subclasses of this invention, in which substituted Ring C is of the following formulae:

Non-limiting Illustrative examples of this class are compounds of the following formulae:

For the previously described classes and subclasses of compounds, as in all compounds of the invention, L¹, Ring D and R^(d) are defined as in part 1.

In some embodiment, Ring D is a phenyl substituted with 1-5 R^(d). In one embodiment of interest R^(d) is selected from H, optionally substituted alkyl (such as for example CF₃) and halo.

In some other embodiment, Ring D is a 6-membered ring heteroaryl. Examples of this class are compounds of the above classes and subclasses in which Ring D is a pyridine, pyrazine, pyridazine, pyrimidine or triazine.

In other embodiment, Ring D is a 5-membered ring heteroaryl. Examples of this class are compounds of the above classes and subclasses in which Ring D is imidazole, pyrazole, tetrazole, oxazole, thiazole, isoxazole, pyrolle, and the like.

Of particular interest is a class of compounds as described above in which R^(d) is selected from the group consisting of halo, —R¹, —OR², —NR¹R², —NR¹C(O)R², —NR¹C(O)NR², C(O)NR¹R², C(O)OR¹, —SO₂NR¹R², —SO₂R¹, —NR¹SO₂R². In another subclass of interest, are compounds of the above embodiment in which R^(d) is H, alkyl, alkynyl, halo, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl, O-alkyl (i.e: OMe and the like), —CN, —C(O)NH-alkyl, —C(O)NH-aryl, C(O)NH-heterocyclyl, OH, —NR¹R², NHS(O)₂-alkyl, NHS(O)₂-aryl. Non limiting examples of R^(d) are H, F, Cl, CF₃, OCF₃, —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)aryl, —SO₂NR¹R², NHSO₂R¹, lower alkyl, —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)heteroaryl, —(CH₂)_(y)C(═O)heterocyclyl, —(CH₂)_(y)NHC(═O)R², —(CH₂)_(y)NR¹R², —(CH₂)_(y)OR², —(CH₂)_(y)SR², —(CH₂)_(y)heterocyclyl, —(CH₂)_(y)aryl, —(CH₂)_(y)heteroaryl, NH-aryl, NH-heteroaryl, NH-heterocyclyl, in which y and m are independently selected from 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4; and alkyl include straight (i.e. unbranched or acyclic), branched and cyclic alkyl groups and alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl groups are optionally substituted.

Of special interest for use in this invention are compounds of formula I in which Ring A is a pyridine; Ring B is a pyrolle; Ring C is attached to position 2 of Ring A and Ring C is an optionally substituted phenyl ring. This class of compounds is illustrated by compounds of Formula VI.

In one aspect of this embodiment, are compounds of Formula VI in which X is O. In another embodiment of interest X is NR⁴, such as for example NH and NCH₃.

In one embodiment are compounds of Formula VI in which Ring D is an optionally substituted 5-membered heteroaryl ring.

In another embodiment are compounds of Formula VI in which Ring D is an optionally substituted 6-membered heteroaryl ring.

In another embodiment are compounds of Formula VI in which Ring D is an optionally substituted phenyl ring.

Of further interest are compounds of Formula VI and other subclasses previously described in which X is O, L¹ is CR³R⁴ such as CH₂ or CHCH₃ and the like. Of particular interest are compounds of Formula VI in which L¹ is CH₂.

Of further interest are compounds of Formula VI in which R^(c) group(s) are independently selected from H, alkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, heteroaryl, arylalkyl, heteroarylalkyl, heterocyclylalkyl, S(O)₂alkyl, S(O)₂NH-alkyl, C(O)NH₂, C(O)NH-alkyl, C(O)N(alkyl)₂, NH₂, NHS(O)₂-phenyl, NHCH₂aryl, NHCH₂heteroaryl or alkoxy in which each alkyl, aryl, heterocyclyl and heteroaryl is optionally substituted; and R^(d) group(s) are independently selected from H, lower alkyl (i.e methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl and the like), CF₃ and halo (i.e Cl, F and Br).

Of other special interest for use in this invention are compounds of formula I in which Ring A is a pyridine; Ring B is a pyrolle; Ring C is attached to position 2 of Ring A and Ring C is an optionally substituted pyrazole ring. This class of compounds is illustrated by compounds of Formula VII.

In one aspect of this embodiment, are compounds of Formula VII in which X is O. In another embodiment of interest X is NR⁴, such as for example NH and NCH₃.

In one embodiment are compounds of Formula VII in which Ring D is an optionally substituted 5-membered heteroaryl ring.

In another embodiment are compounds of Formula VII in which Ring D is an optionally substituted 6-membered heteroaryl ring.

In another embodiment are compounds of Formula VII in which Ring D is an optionally substituted phenyl ring.

Of further interest are compounds of Formula VII and other subclasses previously described in which X is O, L¹ is CR³R⁴ such as CH₂ or CHCH₃ and the like. Of particular interest are compounds of Formula VII in which L¹ is CH₂.

Of further interest are compounds of formulae VI or VII in which R^(c) group(s) are independently selected from H, alkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl, heterocyclylalkyl, S(O)₂alkyl, S(O)₂NH-alkyl, C(O)NH₂, C(O)NH-alkyl, C(O)N(alkyl)₂ in which each alkyl, aryl, heterocyclyl and heteroaryl are optionally substituted; and R^(d) group(s) are independently selected from H, lower alkyl (i.e methyl, ethyl, propyl, isopropyl and the like), CF₃ and halo (i.e Cl, F and Br). Or further interest are compound of Formulae VI or VII in which p is 0, 1, 2 or 3 and each R^(d) is independently selected from halo and CF₃ and s is 0 or 1 and R^(c) is halo, alkyl, aryl, arylalkyl, heteroaryl, heteroaryl, heteroarylalkyl, heterocyclyl or heterocyclylalkyl.

Of other special interest for use in this invention are compounds of formula I in which Ring A is a pyridine and Ring C is attached to position 2 of Ring A. Illustrative, non-limiting examples of this subclass are compounds of the following formulae:

in which Rings C and D; substituents R^(a), R^(c) and R^(d); linker X and L¹; and variables s, n and p are as previously defined in part 1. Of further interest are compounds of this class in which Ring C is an optionally substituted phenyl or an optionally substituted pyrazole and Ring D is an optionally substituted phenyl. Of one particular interest are compounds of these classes in which X is O and L¹ is CH₂ or CH(CH₃). Of other interest are compounds of these classes in which X is NH or NCH₃ and L¹ is C(O), CH₂ or CH(CH₃).

Of other special interest for use in this invention are compounds of formula I in which Ring B is a pyrolle. Illustrative, non-limiting examples of this subclass are compounds of the following formulae:

in which Rings C and D; substituents R^(a), R^(c) and R^(d); linker X and L¹; and variables s, n and p are as previously defined in part 1.

Of further interest are compounds of this class in which Ring C is an optionally substituted phenyl or an optionally substituted pyrazole and Ring D is an optionally substituted phenyl. Of one particular interest are compounds of these classes in which X is O and L¹ is CH₂ or CH(CH₃). Of other interest are compounds of these classes in which X is NH or NCH₃ and L¹ is C(O), CH₂ or CH(CH₃).

Other compounds of interest include among others, compounds of formulae I to VII and of all the previous classes and subclasses in which R^(d) is selected from H, halo (i.e Chloro, Fluoro, Bromo), CF₃, optionally substituted lower alkyl group (i.e Methyl, Ethyl, Isopropyl, Cyclopropyl and the like), CN, optionally substituted acetylene, NO₂, O-alkyl, S-alkyl, C(═O)alkyl, NH-alkyl, C(═O)NH(alkyl) and C(═O)N(alkyl)₂. Of further interest are compounds of this class in which R^(d) is halo or CF³.

Other compounds of interest include among others, compounds of formulae I to VII and of all previous classes and subclasses in which R^(c) is selected from H, halo, —CN, NR¹R², C(O)NR¹R², NR¹C(O)R², SO₂NR¹R², OR¹, —NO₂ and —R¹. Of further interest are compounds of this class in which R^(c) is SO₂NH₂, SO₂NH(alkyl), SO₂N(alkyl)₂, O-alkyl, S-alkyl, C(═O)alkyl, NH₂, NH-alkyl, N(Alkyl)₂, C(O)NH₂, C(═O)NH(alkyl) or C(═O)N(alkyl)₂; in which the aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl and alkyl moieties are optionally substituted.

Other compound of interest include among others, compounds of Formulae I to VII in which R^(a) is selected from H, lower alkyl and halo.

Compounds of this invention of particular interest include those with on or more of the following characteristics:

-   -   a molecular weight of less than 1000, preferably less than 750         and more preferably less than 600 mass units (not including the         weight of any solvating or co-crystallizing species, of any         counter-ion in the case of a salt); or     -   inhibitory activity against a wild type or mutant (especially a         clinically relevant mutant) kinase, especially a kinase such as         Alk, Met, Jak2, bRaf, EGFR, Tie-2, FLT3 or another kinase of         interest with an IC₅₀ value of 1 μM or less (as determined using         any scientifically acceptable kinase inhibition assay),         preferably with an IC₅₀ of 500 nM or better, and optimally with         an IC₅₀ value of 250 nM or better; or     -   inhibitory activity against a given kinase with an IC50 value at         least 100-fold lower than their IC₅₀ values for other kinases of         interest; or     -   inhibitory activity for Alk, Met, Jak2 or B-Raf with a 1 μM or         better IC₅₀ value against each; or     -   a cytotoxic or growth inhibitory effect on cancer cell lines         maintained in vitro, or in animal studies using a scientifically         acceptable cancer cell xenograft model, (especially preferred         are compounds of the invention which inhibit proliferation of         Ba/F3 NMP-ALK, Ba/F3 EML4-ALK, Karpas 299 and/or SU-DHL-1 cells         with a potency at least as great as the potency of known alk         inhibitors such as NVP-TAE684 and PF2341066 among others,         preferably with a potency at least twice that of known alk         inhibitors, and more preferably with a potency at least 10 times         that of known alk inhibitors as determined by comparative         studies.

Also provided is a composition comprising at least one compound of the invention or a salt, hydrate or other solvate thereof, and at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient or additive. Such compositions can be administered to a subject in need thereof to inhibit the growth, development and/or metastasis of cancers, including solid tumors (e.g., prostate cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic and ovarian cancers, breast cancer, non small cell lung cancer (NSCLS), neural tumors such as glioblastomas and neuroblastomas; esophaegeal carcinomas, soft tissue cancers such as rhabdomyosarcomas; among others); various forms of lymphoma such as a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) known as anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL), various forms of leukemia such as chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL); and including cancers which are resistant to other treatment, including those which are resistant to treatment with another kinase inhibitor, and generally for the treatment and prophylaxis of diseases or undesirable conditions mediated by one or more kinases which are inhibited by a compound of this invention.

The cancer treatment method of this invention involves administering (as a monotherapy or in combination with one or more other anti-cancer agents, one or more agents for ameliorating side effects, radiation, etc) a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of the invention to a human or animal in need of it in order to inhibit, slow or reverse the growth, development or spread of cancer, including solid tumors or other forms of cancer such as leukemias, in the recipient. Such administration constitutes a method for the treatment or prophylaxis of diseases mediated by one or more kinases inhibited by one of the disclosed compounds or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof. “Administration” of a compound of this invention encompasses the delivery to a recipient of a compound of the sort described herein, or a prodrug or other pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof, using any suitable formulation or route of administration, as discussed herein. Typically the compound is administered one or more times per month, often one or more times per week, e.g. daily, every other day, 5 days/week, etc. Oral and intravenous administrations are of particular current interest.

The phrase, “pharmaceutically acceptable derivative”, as used herein, denotes any pharmaceutically acceptable salt, ester, or salt of such ester, of such compound, or any other adduct or derivative which, upon administration to a patient, is capable of providing (directly or indirectly) a compound as otherwise described herein, or a metabolite or residue (MW>300) thereof. Pharmaceutically acceptable derivatives thus include among others pro-drugs. A pro-drug is a derivative of a compound, usually with significantly reduced pharmacological activity, which contains an additional moiety which is susceptible to removal in vivo yielding the parent molecule as the pharmacologically active species. An example of a pro-drug is an ester which is cleaved in vivo to yield a compound of interest. Pro-drugs of a variety of compounds, and materials and methods for derivatizing the parent compounds to create the pro-drugs, are known and may be adapted to the present invention.

Particularly favored derivatives and prodrugs of a parent compound are those derivatives and prodrugs that increase the bioavailability of the compound when administered to a mammal (e.g., by permitting enhanced absorption into the blood following oral administration) or which enhance delivery to a biological compartment of interest (e.g., the brain or lymphatic system) relative to the parent compound. Preferred prodrugs include derivatives of a compound of this invention with enhanced aqueous solubility or active transport through the gut membrane, relative to the parent compound.

One important aspect of this invention is a method for treating cancer in a subject in need thereof, which comprises administering to the subject a treatment effective amount of a composition containing a compound of this invention. Treatment may be provided in combination with one or more other cancer therapies, include surgery, radiotherapy (e.g., gamma-radiation, neutron beam radiotherapy, electron beam radiotherapy, proton therapy, brachytherapy, and systemic radioactive isotopes, etc.), endocrine therapy, biologic response modifiers (e.g., interferons, interleukins, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) to name a few), hyperthermia, cryotherapy, agents to attenuate any adverse effects (e.g., antiemetics), and other cancer chemotherapeutic drugs. The other agent(s) may be administered using a formulation, route of administration and dosing schedule the same or different from that used with the compound of this invention.

Such other drugs include but not limited to one or more of the following: an anti-cancer alkylating or intercalating agent (e.g., mechlorethamine, chlorambucil, Cyclophosphamide, Melphalan, and Ifosfamide); antimetabolite (e.g., Methotrexate); purine antagonist or pyrimidine antagonist (e.g., 6-Mercaptopurine, 5-Fluorouracil, Cytarabile, and Gemcitabine); spindle poison (e.g., Vinblastine, Vincristine, Vinorelbine and Paclitaxel); podophyllotoxin (e.g., Etoposide, Irinotecan, Topotecan); antibiotic (e.g., Doxorubicin, Bleomycin and Mitomycin); nitrosourea (e.g., Carmustine, Lomustine); inorganic ion (e.g., Cisplatin, Carboplatin, Oxaliplatin or oxiplatin); enzyme (e.g., Asparaginase); hormone (e.g., Tamoxifen, Leuprolide, Flutamide and Megestrol); mTOR inhibitor (e.g., Sirolimus (rapamycin), Temsirolimus (CCI779), Everolimus (RAD001), AP23573 or other compounds disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,091,213); proteasome inhibitor (such as Velcade, another proteasome inhibitor (see e.g., WO 02/096933) or another NF-kB inhibitor, including, e.g., an IkK inhibitor); other kinase inhibitors (e.g., an inhibitor of Src, BRC/Abl, kdr, flt3, aurora-2, glycogen synthase kinase 3 (“GSK-3”), EGF-R kinase (e.g., Iressa, Tarceva, etc.), VEGF-R kinase, PDGF-R kinase, etc); an antibody, soluble receptor or other receptor antagonist against a receptor or hormone implicated in a cancer (including receptors such as EGFR, ErbB2, VEGFR, PDGFR, and IGF-R; and agents such as Herceptin, Avastin, Erbitux, etc.); etc. For a more comprehensive discussion of updated cancer therapies see, http://www.nci.nih.gov/, a list of the FDA approved oncology drugs at http://www.fda.gov/cder/cancer/druglistframe.htm, and The Merck Manual, Seventeenth Ed. 1999, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference. Examples of other therapeutic agents are noted elsewhere herein and include among others, Zyloprim, alemtuzmab, altretamine, amifostine, nastrozole, antibodies against prostate-specific membrane antigen (such as MLN-591, MLN591RL and MLN2704), arsenic trioxide, bexarotene, bleomycin, busulfan, capecitabine, Gliadel Wafer, celecoxib, chlorambucil, cisplatin-epinephrine gel, cladribine, cytarabine liposomal, daunorubicin liposomal, daunorubicin, daunomycin, dexrazoxane, docetaxel, doxorubicin, Elliott's B Solution, epirubicin, estramustine, etoposide phosphate, etoposide, exemestane, fludarabine, 5-FU, fulvestrant, gemcitabine, gemtuzumab-ozogamicin, goserelin acetate, hydroxyurea, idarubicin, idarubicin, Idamycin, ifosfamide, imatinib mesylate, irinotecan (or other topoisomerase inhibitor, including antibodies such as MLN576 (XR11576)), letrozole, leucovorin, leucovorin levamisole, liposomal daunorubicin, melphalan, L-PAM, mesna, methotrexate, methoxsalen, mitomycin C, mitoxantrone, MLN518 or MLN608 (or other inhibitors of the flt-3 receptor tyrosine kinase, PDFG-R or c-kit), itoxantrone, paclitaxel, Pegademase, pentostatin, porfimer sodium, Rituximab (RITUXAN®), talc, tamoxifen, temozolamide, teniposide, VM-26, topotecan, toremifene, 2C4 (or other antibody which interferes with HER2-mediated signaling), tretinoin, ATRA, vairubicin, vinorelbine, or pamidronate, zoledronate or another bisphosphonate.

This invention further comprises the preparation of a compound of any of Formulae I, II, III, IV, IVA, IVB, V, VA, VB, VI, VII or of any other classes and subclasses of compounds of this invention.

The invention also comprises the use of a compound of the invention, or a pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof, in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment either acutely or chronically of cancer (including lymphoma and solid tumors, primary or metastatic, including cancers such as noted elsewhere herein and including cancers which are resistant or refractory to one or more other therapies). The compounds of this invention are useful in the manufacture of an anti-cancer medicament. The compounds of the present invention are also useful in the manufacture of a medicament to attenuate or prevent disorders through inhibition of one or more kinases such as ALK, jak2, b-raf, met, Tie-2, EGFR, FLT3, FAK, Pim-1, P13k, etc. . . . .

This invention further encompasses a composition comprising a compound of the invention, including a compound of any of the described classes or subclasses, including those of any of the formulas noted above, among others, preferably in a therapeutically-effective amount, in association with a least one pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, adjuvant or diluent.

Compounds of this invention are also useful as standards and reagents for characterizing various kinases, especially but not limited to ALK, Met, Jak2, b-Raf, Tie-2, EGFR, FLT3 among others as well as for studying the role of such kinases in biological and pathological phenomena; for studying intracellular signal transduction pathways mediated by such kinases, for the comparative evaluation of new kinase inhibitors; and for studying various cancers in cell lines and animal models.

3. Definitions

In reading this document, the following information and definitions apply unless otherwise indicated.

The term “Alkyl” is intended to include linear (i.e., unbranched or acyclic), branched, cyclic, or polycyclic non aromatic hydrocarbon groups, which are optionally substituted with one or more functional groups. Unless otherwise specified, “alkyl” groups contain one to eight, and preferably one to six carbon atoms. C₁₋₆ alkyl is intended to include C₁, C₂, C₃, C₄, C₅, and C₆ alkyl groups. Lower alkyl refers to alkyl groups containing 1 to 6 carbon atoms. Examples of Alkyl include, but are not limited to, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, cyclopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, cyclobutyl, pentyl, isopentyl tert-pentyl, cyclopentyl, hexyl, isohexyl, cyclohexyl, etc. Alkyl may be substituted or unsubstituted. Illustrative substituted alkyl groups include, but are not limited to, fluoromethyl, difluoromethyl, trifluoromethyl, 2-fluoroethyl, 3-fluoropropyl, hydroxymethyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, 3-hydroxypropyl, benzyl, substituted benzyl, phenethyl, substituted phenethyl, etc.

The term “Alkoxy” represents a subset of alkyl in which an alkyl group as defined above with the indicated number of carbons attached through an oxygen bridge. For example, “alkoxy” refers to groups —O-alkyl, wherein the alkyl group contains 1 to 8 carbons atoms of a linear, branched, cyclic configuration. Examples of “alkoxy” include, but are not limited to, methoxy, ethoxy, n-propoxy, i-propoxy, t-butoxy, n-butoxy, s-pentoxy and the like.

“Haloalkyl” is intended to include both branched and linear chain saturated hydrocarbon having one or more carbon substituted with a Halogen. Examples of haloalkyl, include, but are not limited to, trifluoromethyl, trichloromethyl, pentafluoroethyl and the like.

The term “alkenyl” is intended to include hydrocarbon chains of linear, branched, or cyclic configuration having one or more unsaturated Carbon-carbon bonds that may occur in any stable point along the chain or cycle. Unless otherwise specified, “alkenyl” refers to groups usually having two to eight, often two to six carbon atoms. For example, “alkenyl” may refer to prop-2-enyl, but-2-enyl, but-3-enyl, 2-methylprop-2-enyl, hex-2-enyl, hex-5-enyl, 2,3-dimethylbut-2-enyl, and the like. Furthermore, alkenyl groups may be substituted or unsubstituted.

The term “alkynyl” is intended to include hydrocarbon chains of either linear or branched configuration, having one or more carbon-carbon triple bond that may occur in any stable point along the chain. Unless otherwise specified, “alkynyl” groups refer refers to groups having two to eight, preferably two to six carbons. Examples of “alkynyl” include, but are not limited to prop-2-ynyl, but-2-ynyl, but-3-ynyl, pent-2-ynyl, 3-methylpent-4-ynyl, hex-2-ynyl, hex-5-ynyl, etc. Furthermore, alkynyl groups may be substituted or unsubstituted.

Cycloalkyl is a subset of alkyl and includes any stable cyclic or polycyclic hydrocarbon groups of from 3 to 13 carbon atoms, any of which is saturated. Examples of such cycloalkyl include, but are not limited to cyclopropyl, norbornyl, [2.2.2]bicyclooctane, [4.4.0]bicyclodecane, and the like, which, as in the case of other alkyl moieties, may optionally be substituted. The term “cycloalkyl” may be used interchangeably with the term “carbocycle”.

Cycloalkenyl is a subset of alkenyl and includes any stable cyclic or polycyclic hydrocarbon groups of from 3 to 13 carbon atoms, preferably from 5 to 8 carbon atoms, which contains one or more unsaturated carbon-carbon double bonds that may occur in any point along the cycle. Examples of such cycloalkenyl include, but are not limited to cyclopentenyl, cyclohexenyl and the like.

Cycloalkynyl is a subset of alkynyl and includes any stable cyclic or polycyclic hydrocarbon groups of from 5 to 13 carbon atoms, which contains one or more unsaturated carbon-carbon triple bonds that may occur in any point along the cycle. As in the case of other alkenyl and alkynyl moieties, cycloalkenyl and cycloalkynyl may optionally be substituted.

“Heterocycle”, “heterocyclyl”, or “heterocyclic” as used herein refers to non-aromatic ring systems having five to fourteen ring atoms, preferably five to ten, in which one or more ring carbons, preferably one to four, are each replaced by a heteroatom such as N, O, or S, Non-limiting examples of heterocyclic rings include 3-1H-benzimidazol-2-one, (1-substituted)-2-oxo-benzimidazol-3-yl, 2-tetrahydrofuranyl, 3-tetrahydrofuranyl, 2-tetrahydrothiophenyl, 3-tetrahydrothiophenyl, 2-morpholinyl, 3-morpholinyl, 4-morpholinyl, 2-thiomorpholinyl, 3-thiomorpholinyl, 4-thiomorpholinyl, 1-pyrrolidinyl, 2-pyrrolidinyl, 3-pyrrolidinyl, 1-piperazinyl, 2-piperazinyl, 1-piperidinyl, 2-piperidinyl, 3-piperidinyl, 4-piperidinyl, 4-thiazolidinyl, diazolonyl, N-substituted diazolonyl, 1-phthalimidinyl, benzoxanyl, benzopyrrolidinyl, benzopiperidinyl, benzoxolanyl, benzothiolanyl, and benzothianyl. Also included within the scope of the term “heterocyclyl” or “heterocyclic”, as it is used herein, is a group in which a non-aromatic heteroatom-containing ring is fused to one or more aromatic or non-aromatic rings, such as in an indolinyl, chromanyl, phenanthridinyl, or tetrahydroquinolinyl, where the radical or point of attachment is on the non-aromatic heteroatom-containing ring. The term “heterocycle”, “heterocyclyl”, or “heterocyclic” whether saturated or partially unsaturated, also refers to rings that are optionally substituted.

The term “aryl” used alone or as part of a larger moiety as in “aralkyl”, “aralkoxy”, or “aryloxyalkyl”, refers to aromatic ring groups having six to fourteen ring atoms, such as phenyl, 1-naphthyl, 2-naphthyl, 1-anthracyl and 2-anthracyl. An “aryl” ring may contain one or more substituents. The term “aryl” may be used interchangeably with the term “aryl ring”. “Aryl” also includes fused polycyclic aromatic ring systems in which an aromatic ring is fused to one or more rings. Non-limiting examples of useful aryl ring groups include phenyl, hydroxyphenyl, halophenyl, alkoxyphenyl, dialkoxyphenyl, trialkoxyphenyl, alkylenedioxyphenyl, naphthyl, phenanthryl, anthryl, phenanthro and the like, as well as 1-naphthyl, 2-naphthyl, 1-anthracyl and 2-anthracyl. Also included within the scope of the term “aryl”, as it is used herein, is a group in which an aromatic ring is fused to one or more non-aromatic rings, such as in a indanyl, phenanthridinyl, or tetrahydronaphthyl, where the radical or point of attachment is on the aromatic ring.

The term “heteroaryl” as used herein refers to stable heterocyclic, and polyheterocyclic aromatic moieties having 5-14 ring atoms. Heteroaryl groups may be substituted or unsubstituted and may comprise one or more rings. Examples of typical heteroaryl rings include 5-membered monocyclic ring groups such as thienyl, pyrrolyl, imidazolyl, pyrazolyl, furyl, isothiazolyl, furazanyl, isoxazolyl, thiazolyl and the like; 6-membered monocyclic groups such as pyridyl, pyrazinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyridazinyl, triazinyl and the like; and polycyclic heterocyclic ring groups such as benzo[b]thienyl, naphtho[2,3-b]thienyl, thianthrenyl, isobenzofuranyl, chromenyl, xanthenyl, phenoxathienyl, indolizinyl, isoindolyl, indolyl, indazolyl, purinyl, isoquinolyl, quinolyl, phthalazinyl, naphthyridinyl, quinoxalinyl, quinazolinyl, benzothiazole, benzimidazole, tetrahydroquinoline cinnolinyl, pteridinyl, carbazolyl, beta-carbolinyl, phenanthridinyl, acridinyl, perimidinyl, phenanthrolinyl, phenazinyl, isothiazolyl, phenothiazinyl, phenoxazinyl, and the like (see e.g. Katritzky, Handbook of Heterocyclic Chemistry). Further specific examples of heteroaryl rings include 2-furanyl, 3-furanyl, N-imidazolyl, 2-imidazolyl, 4-imidazolyl, 5-imidazolyl, 3-isoxazolyl, 4-isoxazolyl, 5-isoxazolyl, 2-oxadiazolyl, 5-oxadiazolyl, 2-oxazolyl, 4-oxazolyl, 5-oxazolyl, 1-pyrrolyl, 2-pyrrolyl, 3-pyrrolyl, 2-pyridyl, 3-pyridyl, 4-pyridyl, 2-pyrimidyl, 4-pyrimidyl, 5-pyrimidyl, 3-pyridazinyl, 2-thiazolyl, 4-thiazolyl, 5-thiazolyl, 5-tetrazolyl, 2-triazolyl, 5-triazolyl, 2-thienyl, 3-thienyl, carbazolyl, benzimidazolyl, benzothienyl, benzofuranyl, indolyl, quinolinyl, benzotriazolyl, benzothiazolyl, benzooxazolyl, benzimidazolyl, isoquinolinyl, indolyl, isoindolyl, acridinyl, or benzoisoxazolyl. Heteroaryl groups further include a group in which a heteroaromatic ring is fused to one or more aromatic or nonaromatic rings where the radical or point of attachment is on the heteroaromatic ring. Examples include tetrahydroquinoline, tetrahydroisoquinoline, and pyrido[3,4-d]pyrimidinyl, imidazo[1,2-a]pyrimidyl, imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazinyl, imidazo[1,2-a]pyiridinyl, imidazo[1,2-c]pyrimidyl, pyrazolo[1,5-a][1,3,5]triazinyl, pyrazolo[1,5-c]pyrimidyl, imidazo[1,2-b]pyridazinyl, imidazo[1,5-a]pyrimidyl, pyrazolo[1,5-b][1,2,4]triazine, quinolyl, isoquinolyl, quinoxalyl, imidazotriazinyl, pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidyl, triazolopyrimidyl, pyridopyrazinyl. The term “heteroaryl” also refers to rings that are optionally substituted. The term “heteroaryl” may be used interchangeably with the term “heteroaryl ring” or the term “heteroaromatic”.

An aryl group (including the aryl portion of an aralkyl, aralkoxy, or aryloxyalkyl moiety and the like) or heteroaryl group (including the heteroaryl portion of a heteroaralkyl or heteroarylalkoxy moiety and the like) may contain one or more substituents. Examples of suitable substituents on the unsaturated carbon atom of an aryl or heteroaryl group include halogen (F, Cl, Br or I), alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, —CN, —R¹, —OR², —S(O)_(r)R², (wherein r is an integer of 0, 1 or 2), —SO₂NR¹R², —NR¹R², —O—NR¹R², —NR¹—NR¹R², —(CO)YR², —O(CO)YR², —NR¹(CO)YR², —S(CO)YR², —NR¹C(═S)YR², —OC(═S)YR², —C(═S)YR², wherein each occurrence of Y is independently —O—, —S—, or a chemical bond; —(CO)YR² thus encompasses —C(═O)R², —C(═O)OR², and —C(═O)NR¹R². Additional substituents include —YC(═NR¹)YR², —YC(═N—OR¹)YR², —YC(═N—NR¹R²)YR², —COCOR², —COMCOR² (where M is a 1-6 carbon alkyl group), —YP(═O)(YR³)(YR³) (including among others —P(═O)(R³)₂), —Si(R³)₃, —NO₂, —NR¹SO₂R² and —NR¹SO₂NR¹R². To illustrate further, substituents in which Y is —NR¹ thus include among others, —NR¹C(═O)R², —NR¹C(═O)NR¹R², —NR¹C(═O)OR², and —NR¹C(═NH)NR¹R². R³ substituent is selected from alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl; R¹ and R² substituents at each occurrence are independently selected from hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl, and R¹, R² and R³ substituents may themselves be substituted or unsubstituted. Examples of substituents allowed on R¹, R² and R³ include, among others amino, alkylamino, dialkylamino, aminocarbonyl, halogen, alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, carbocycle, heterocycle, alkylaminocarbonyl, dialkylaminocarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyloxy, dialkylaminocarbonyloxy, nitro, cyano, carboxy, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyl, hydroxy, alkoxy, haloalkoxy groups. Additional illustrative examples include protected OH (such as acyloxy), phenyl, substituted phenyl, —O-phenyl, —O-(substituted) phenyl, -benzyl, substituted benzyl, —O-phenethyl (i.e., —OCH₂CH₂C₆H₅), —O-(substituted)phenethyl. Non-limiting illustrations of a substituted R¹, R² or R³ moiety include haloalkyl and trihaloalkyl, alkoxyalkyl, halophenyl, -M-heteroaryl, -M-heterocycle, -M-aryl, -M-OR², -M-SR², -M-NR¹R², -M-OC(O)NR¹R², -M-C(═NR²)NR¹R², -M-C(═NR¹)OR², -M-P(O)R³R³, Si(R³)₃, -M-NR¹C(O)R², -M-NR¹C(O)OR², -M-C(O)R², -M-C(═S)R², -M-C(═S)NR¹R², -M-C(O)NR¹R², -M-C(O)NR²-M-NR¹R², -M-NR²C(NR¹)NR¹R², -M-NR¹C(S)NR¹R², -M-S(O)₂R¹, -M-C(O)R¹, -M-OC(O)R¹, -MC(O)SR², -M-S(O)₂NR¹R², —C(O)-M-C(O)R², -MCO₂R², -MC(═O)NR¹R², -M-C(═NH)NR¹R², and -M-OC(═NH)NR¹R² (wherein M is a 1-6 carbon alkyl group).

Some more specific examples include but are not limited to chloromethyl, trichloromethyl, trifluoromethyl, methoxyethyl, alkoxyphenyl, halophenyl, —CH₂-aryl, —CH₂-heterocycle, —CH₂C(O)NH₂, —C(O)CH₂N(CH₃)₂, —CH₂CH₂OH, —CH₂OC(O)NH₂, —CH₂CH₂NH₂, —CH₂CH₂CH₂NEt₂, —CH₂OCH₃, —C(O)NH₂, —CH₂CH₂-heterocycle, —C(═S)CH₃, —C(═S)NH₂, —C(═NH)NH₂, —C(═NH)OEt, —C(O)NH-cyclopropyl, C(O)NHCH₂CH₂-heterocycle, —C(O)NHCH₂CH₂OCH₃, —C(O)CH₂CH₂NHCH₃, —CH₂CH₂F, —C(O)CH₂-heterocycle, —CH₂C(O)NHCH₃, —CH₂CH₂P(O)(CH₃)₂, Si(CH₃)₃ and the like.

An alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, alkoxy, haloalkyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl or non-aromatic heterocyclic group may thus also contain one or more substituents. Examples of suitable substituents on such groups include, but are not limited to those listed above for the carbon atoms of an aryl or heteroaryl group and in addition include the following substituents for a saturated carbon atom: ═O, ═S, ═NH, ═NNR²R³, ═NNHC(O)R², ═NNHCO₂R², or ═NNHSO₂R², wherein R² and R³ at each occurrence are independently hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl.

Illustrative examples of substituents on an aliphatic, heteroaliphatic or heterocyclic group include amino, alkylamino, dialkylamino, aminocarbonyl, halogen, alkyl, alkylaminocarbonyl, dialkylaminocarbonyl, alkylaminocarbonyloxy, dialkylaminocarbonyloxy, alkoxy, nitro, —CN, carboxy, alkoxycarbonyl, alkylcarbonyl, —OH, haloalkoxy, or haloalkyl groups.

Illustrative substituents on a nitrogen, e.g., in an heteroaryl or non-aromatic heterocyclic ring include R¹, —NR¹R², —C(═O)R², —C(═O)OR², —C(═O)SR², —C(═O)NR¹R², —C(═NR²)NR¹R², —C(═NR²)OR², —C(═NR¹)R³, —COCOR², —COMCOR², —CN, —SO₂R², S(O)R², —P(═O)(YR³)(YR³), —NR¹SO₂R² and —NR¹SO₂NR¹R², wherein each occurrence of R³ is alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl and heterocyclyl; each occurrence of R¹ and R² is independently hydrogen, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl and heterocyclyl.

When a ring system (e.g., cycloalkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, or heteroaryl) is substituted with a number of substituents varying within an expressly defined range, it is understood that the total number of substituents does not exceed the normal available valencies under the existing conditions. Thus, for example, a phenyl ring substituted with “m” substituents (where “m” ranges from 0 to 5) can have 0 to 5 substituents, whereas it is understood that a pyridinyl ring substituted with “m” substituents has a number of substituents ranging from 0 to 4. The maximum number of substituents that a group in the compounds of the invention may have can be easily determined.

This invention encompasses only those combinations of substituents and variables that result in a stable or chemically feasible compound. A stable compound or chemically feasible compound is one that has stability sufficient to permit its preparation and detection. Preferred compounds of this invention are sufficiently stable that they are not substantially altered when kept at a temperature of 40° C. or less, in the absence of moisture or other chemically reactive conditions, for at least a week.

Certain compounds of this invention may exist in tautomeric forms, and this invention includes all such tautomeric forms of those compounds unless otherwise specified.

Unless otherwise stated, structures depicted herein are also meant to include all stereochemical forms of the structure; i.e., the R and S configurations for each asymmetric center. Thus, single stereochemical isomers as well as enantiomeric and diastereomeric mixtures of the present compounds are within the scope of the invention. Thus, this invention encompasses each diasteriomer or enantiomer substantially free of other isomers (>90%, and preferably >95%, free from other stereoisomers on a molar basis) as well as a mixture of such isomers.

Particular optical isomers can be obtained by resolution of the racemic mixtures according to conventional processes, e.g., by formation of diastereoisomeric salts, by treatment with an optically active acid or base. Examples of appropriate acids are tartaric, diacetyltartaric, dibenzoyltartaric, ditoluoyltartaric, and camphorsulfonic acid and then separation of the mixture of diastereoisomers by crystallization followed by liberation of the optically active bases from these salts. A different process for separation of optical isomers involves the use of a chiral chromatography column optimally chosen to maximize the separation of the enantiomers. Still another method involves synthesis of covalent diastereoisomeric molecules by reacting compounds of the invention with an optically pure acid in an activated form or an optically pure isocyanate. The synthesized diastereoisomers can be separated by conventional means such as chromatography, distillation, crystallization or sublimation, and then hydrolyzed to deliver the enantiomerically pure compound.

Optically active compounds of the invention can be obtained by using active starting materials. These isomers may be in the form of a free acid, a free base, an ester or a salt.

The compounds of this invention can exist in radiolabelled form, i.e., said compounds may contain one or more atoms containing an atomic mass or mass number different from the atomic mass or mass number: ordinarily found in nature. Radioisotopes of hydrogen, carbon, phosphorous, fluorine and chlorine include ³H, ¹⁴C_(,) ³²P, ³⁵S, ⁴³F and ³⁶CI, respectively. Compounds of this invention which contain those radioisotopes and/or other radioisotopes of other atoms are within the scope of this invention. Tritiated, i.e., ³H, and carbon-14, i.e., ¹⁴C, radioisotopes are particularly preferred for their ease of preparation and detectability.

Radiolabelled compounds of this invention can generally be prepared by methods well known to those skilled in the art. Conveniently, such radiolabelled compounds can be prepared by carrying out the procedures disclosed herein except substituting a readily available radiolabelled reagent for a non-radiolabelled reagent.

4. Synthetic Overview

The practitioner has a well-established literature of heterocyclic and other relevant chemical transformations, recovery and purification technologies to draw upon, in combination with the information contained in the examples which follow, for guidance on synthetic strategies, protecting groups, and other materials and methods useful for the synthesis, recovery and characterization of the compounds of this invention, including compounds containing the various choices for the R^(a), R^(c), R^(d) and Rings A, B, C, D and linkers X and L¹.

Various synthetic approaches may be used to produce the compounds described herein, including those approaches depicted schematically below. The practitioner will appreciate that protecting groups may be used in these approaches. “Protecting groups”, are moieties that are used to temporarily block chemical reaction at a potentially reactive site (e.g., an amine, hydroxy, thiol, aldehyde, etc.) so that a reaction can be carried out selectively at another site in a multifunctional compound. In preferred embodiments, a protecting group reacts selectively in good yield to give a protected substrate that is suitable for the planned reactions; the protecting group should be selectively removable in good yield by readily available, preferably nontoxic reagents that do not unduly attack the other functional groups present; the protecting group preferably forms an readily separable derivative (more preferably without the generation of new stereogenic centers); and the protecting group preferably has a minimum of additional functionality to avoid the complication of further sites of reaction. A wide variety of protecting groups and strategies, reagents and conditions for deploying and removing them are known in the art. See, e.g., “Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis” Third Ed. Greene, T. W. and Wuts, P. G., Eds., John Wiley & Sons, New York: 1999. For additional background information on protecting group methodologies (materials, methods and strategies for protection and deprotection) and other synthetic chemistry transformations useful in producing the compounds described herein, see in R. Larock, Comprehensive organic Transformations, VCH Publishers (1989); T. W. Greene and P. G. M. Wuts, Protective Groups in Organic Synthesis, 3rd. Ed., John Wiley and Sons (1999); L. Fieser and M. Fieser, Fieser and Fieser's Reagents for Organic Synthesis, John Wiley and Sons (1994); and L. Paquette, ed., Encyclopedia of Reagents for Organic Synthesis, John Wiley and Sons (1995). The entire contents of these references are hereby incorporated by reference.

Also, one may chose reagents enriched for a desired isotope, e.g. deuterium in place of hydrogen, to create compounds of this invention containing such isotope(s). Compounds containing deuterium in place of hydrogen in one or more locations, or containing various isotopes of C, N, P and O, are encompassed by this invention and may be used, for instance, for studying metabolism and/or tissue distribution of the compounds or to alter the rate or path of metabolism or other aspects of biological functioning.

The compounds of this invention can be synthesized using the methods described below, together with synthetic methods known in the art of synthetic organic chemistry, or by a variation thereon as appreciated by those skilled in the art. Preferred methods include, but are not limited to those described below. The reactions are preformed in a solvent appropriate to the reagents and materials employed and suitable for the transformation being effected. It will be understood by those skilled in the art of organic synthesis that the functionality present on the molecule should be consistent the transformations proposed. This will sometimes required some judgment to modify the order of the synthetic steps or to select one particular process scheme over another in order to obtain a desired compound of the invention.

A compound of the present invention could be prepared as outlined in Scheme 1 to Scheme 17A and via standard methods known to those skilled in the art.

A compound of Formula I, II, IV, IVA, VI or VII can be prepared from 5-bromo-2-chloro-3-nitropyridine as shown in Scheme 1. 5-bromo-2-chloro-3-nitropyridine is first treated with sodium hydride and diethyl propanedioate to generate intermediate 1a which consequently undergoes decarbonylation under acidic conditions to generate 5-bromo-2-methyl-3-nitropyridine (intermediate 1b). Intermediate 1b is treated with N,N-dimethylacetamide in the presence of N,N-dimethylformamide to generate intermediate 1c. Incomplete reduction with SnCl₂ generate 6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-ol as intermediate 1d. The [Ring D]-L¹ moiety can then be incorporated by treatment of intermediate 1d with a [Ring D]-L¹-Br compound or a chemically equivalent compound in which the Bromide is replaced by another halide (such as for example Iodide) or is replaced by other leaving groups (such as for example a mesylate or the like), and the displacement can take place in the presence of a base such as for example potassium carbonate in a suitable solvent (i.e. dimethylformamide and the like). A catalytic amount of potassium iodide can be added to facilitate the displacement. The resulting intermediate 1e is then submitted to Suzuki coupling conditions with a boronic acid or a boronic ester introducing therein the Ring C moiety.

An approach to the preparation of a compound of formula I, II, IV, IVA or VI is illustrated below in Scheme 1A in which L¹ is CH₂, Ring C and Ring D are optionally substituted with 1 to 5 R^(c) and 1-5 R^(d) respectively.

An approach to the preparation of a compound of formula I, II, IV, WA or VI is illustrated below in Scheme 1A in which L¹ is a bond, Ring C and Ring D are optionally substituted with 1 to 5 R^(c) and 1-5 R^(d) respectively.

A compound of Formula I, II, N, IVA, VI or VII in which L¹ is CH(CH₃) can be prepared from an optionally substituted 1-phenylethanone as shown in Scheme 2. The ketone is reduced to the corresponding secondary alcohol using sodium borohydride and generating Intermediate 2a. The alcohol 2a was activated by treatment with Mesyl chloride in the presence of a base scavenger, such as for example triethyamine, and generated intermediate 2b. The mesylate 2b was displaced with 6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-ol (intermediate 1d described in Scheme 1) and generated intermediate 2c. Intermediate 2c is then submitted to Suzuki coupling conditions with a boronic acid or a boronic ester introducing therein the [Ring C] moiety.

An approach to the preparation of a compound of Formula I, II, IV, IVA or VII in which L¹ is CHCH₃, is illustrated below in Scheme 2A in which Ring C is a substituted pyrazole, and Ring D is a tri-substituted phenyl.

A compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA, VI or VII in which X is NH and L¹ is CH₂ can be prepared from 6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine in 3 steps. 6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine is reacted with monochloramine in the presence of a base such as for example sodium hydride to generate intermediate 3a. Compound 3a is condensed with a [Ring D]CHO moiety. The resulting imine 3b is reduced using a reducing agent such as NaBH₄ or LiAlH₄ generating compound 3c. Intermediate 3c is then submitted to Suzuki coupling conditions with a boronic acid or a boronic ester introducing therein the [Ring C] moiety.

An approach to the preparation of a compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA or VII in which X is NH and L¹ is CH₂, is illustrated below in Scheme 3A in which Ring D is a substituted phenyl and Ring C is a substituted pyrazole.

An alternative synthesis of compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA, VI or VII in which X is NH and L¹ is CHCH₃ can be prepared from 5-bromo-2-methyl-3-nitropyridine. The [Ring C] moiety is first introduced in a Suzuki coupling reaction generating compound 4a. Intermediate 4a is treated with N,N-dimethylacetamide in the presence of dimethylformamide to generate intermediate 4b. Upon hydrogenation condition, cyclization to 1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine occurred generating intermediate 4c. Conversion to the final product can be carried out in a 3 step synthesis as described in Scheme 3.

An approach to the preparation of a few compounds of Formula I, III, IV, IVA or VII in which X is NH, L¹ is CH₂ is illustrated in Scheme 4A in which Ring D is an optionally substituted phenyl and Ring C is a substituted pyrazole.

The substituted pyrazole boronic ester used in step 1 of Scheme 4A, was synthesized from N-BOC protected piperidin-4-ol as described is Scheme 4B.

A compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA or VI in which X is NH and L¹ is CHCH₃ can be prepared from intermediate 4e (described in Scheme 4) in one step as illustrated in Scheme 5:

In a non limiting example Scheme 5A illustrates the synthesis of a compound of Formula I, III, IV or IVA in which X is NH and L¹ is CHCH₃, Ring D is a substituted phenyl and Ring C is a substituted pyrazole.

An alternative method for synthesizing a compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA, VI or VII in which X is NH and L¹ is CHCH₃ is condensing an intermediate 4d (as described in Scheme 4) with a methyl ketone. The resulting intermediate 6a is then reduced with a reducing agent such as for example NaBH₄ or LiAlH₄ or the like.

In a non limiting example, Scheme 6A illustrates the synthesis of a compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA or VII in which X is NH and L¹ is CHCH₃, Ring D is a substituted phenyl and Ring C is a substituted pyrazole.

A compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA, VI or VII in which X is NCH₃ and L¹ is CH₂ can be prepared from alkylation of a corresponding compound in which X is NH as shown in Scheme 7.

In a non limiting example, Scheme 7A illustrates the synthesis of a compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA or VII in which X is NCH₃ and L¹ is CH₂, Ring D is a substituted phenyl and Ring C is a substituted pyrazole.

A compound of Formula I, III, IV or IVA in which Ring B is pyrazole, Ring A is pyridine, X is NH and L¹ is CH₂ can be prepared as shown in Scheme 7. Treatment of 5-Bromo-3-fluoropyridine-2-carboxaldehyde with hydrazine results in cyclization to 6-bromo-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-b]pyridine (intermediate 7a). A similar conversion was described in US application US 2007/244178. Amination with monochloramine in the presence of sodium hydride generates intermediate 7b. The amine functionality of intermediate 7b is then condensed with an aldehyde generating the imine 7c. Reduction of the imine is carried out with a reducing agent such as for example sodium borohydride or lithium aluminium hydride provides compound 7d.

Ring C moiety is then introduced using Suzuki coupling conditions.

Alternatively, the Ring C moiety could be introduced via Suzuki coupling prior to the formation of the bicyclic core and prior to the introduction of the Ring D moiety as illustrated in Scheme 9.

A compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA, V or VA in which Ring B is imidazole, Ring A is pyridine or pyrazine, X is NH, L¹ is CH₂ can be prepared as shown in Scheme 10.

Alternatively, the Ring C moiety could be introduced via Suzuki coupling prior to the introduction of the Ring D moiety as illustrated in Scheme 11.

A compound of Formula I, II, IV or IVA in which Ring B is a triazole, Ring A is pyridine, L¹ is CH₂ and X is O is described in Scheme 12.

Alternatively, the Ring C moiety could be introduced via Suzuki coupling prior to the introduction of the Ring D moiety as illustrated in Scheme 13.

A compound of Formula I, II, IV or IVA in which Ring B is imidazole, Ring A is pyridine, L¹ is CH₂ and X is O is described in Scheme 14.

Alternatively, the Ring C moiety could be introduced via Suzuki coupling prior to the introduction of the Ring D moiety as illustrated in Scheme 15.

A compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA, VI or VII in which X is NH and L¹ is C(O) can be prepared by treating an intermediate 4d (described in Scheme 4) with an acid using standard amide coupling conditions such as for example HBTU and triethylamine, as described in Scheme 16.

In a non limiting example, Scheme 16A illustrates the synthesis of a compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA or VI in which X is NH and L¹ is C(O), Rings C and D are substituted phenyls.

A compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA, VI or VII in which X is NH and L¹ is a bond can be prepared by treating an intermediate 4d (described in Scheme 4) with an aryl or heteroaryl halide in the presence of base such as for example sodium carbonate, as described in Scheme 17.

In a non limiting example, Scheme 17A illustrates the synthesis of a compound of Formula I, III, IV, IVA or VI in which X is NH and L¹ is a bond and Rings C and D are substituted phenyls.

The synthetic guidance provided in Schemes 1 through 17A is applicable to a variety of Rings A, B, C and D and linkers X and L¹ of this invention and allows the preparation of all compounds of this invention.

With synthetic approaches such as the foregoing, combined with the examples which follow, additional information provided herein and conventional methods and materials, the practitioner should be able to prepare the full range of compounds disclosed herein.

5. Uses, Formulations, Administration

Pharmaceutical Uses; Indications

This invention provides compounds having biological properties which make them of interest for treating or modulating disease in which kinases may be involved, symptoms of such disease, or the effect of other physiological events mediated by kinases. For instance, a number of compounds of this invention have been shown to inhibit tyrosine kinase activity of alk, fak and c-met, among other tyrosine kinases which are believed to mediate the growth, development and/or metastasis of cancer. A number of compounds of the invention have also been found to possess potent in vitro activity against cancer cell lines, including among others karpas 299 cells. Such compounds are thus of interest for the treatment of cancers, including solid tumors as well as lymphomas and including cancers which are resistant to other therapies.

Such cancers include, among others, cancers of the breast, non small cell lung cancer (NSCLS), neural tumors such as glioblastomas and neuroblastomas; esophaegeal carcinomas, soft tissue cancers such as rhabdomyosarcomas, among others); various forms of lymphoma such as a non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) known as anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL), various forms of leukemia such as chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), acute myeloid leukemia (ALL); and including cancers which are ALK or c-met mediated.

Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (ALK) is a cell membrane-spanning receptor tyrosine kinase, which belong to the insulin receptor subfamily. ALK receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) was initially identified due to its involvement in the human non-Hodgkin lymphoma subtype known as anaplastic large-cell lymphoma (ALCL). ALK normally has a restricted distribution in mammalian cells, being found at significant levels only in nervous system during embryonic development, suggesting a possible role for ALK in brain development (Duyster, J. Et al., Oncogene, 2001, 20, 5623-5637).

In addition to its role in normal development, expression of the full-length normal ALK has also been detected in cell lines derived from a variety of tumors such as neuroblastomas, neuroectodermal tumors (Lamant L. Et al., Am. J. Pathol., 2000, 156, 1711-1721; Osajima-Hakomori Y., et al., Am. J. Pathol. 2005, 167, 213-222) and glioblastoma (Powers C. et al., J. Biol. Chem. 2002, 277, 14153-14158; Grzelinski M. et al., Int. J. Cancer, 2005, 117, 942-951; Mentlein, R. Et al., J. Neurochem., 2002, 83, 747-753) as well as breast cancer and melanoma lines (Dirk W G. Et al., Int. J. Cancer, 2002, 100, 49-56).

In common with other RTKs, translocations affect the ALK gene, resulting in expression of oncogenic fusion kinases—the most common of which is NPM-ALK. For example, approximately sixty percent of anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL) are associated with a chromosome mutation that generates a fusion protein consisting of nucleophosmin (NMP) and the intracellular domain of ALK. (Armitage, J. O. et al., Cancer: principle and practice of oncology, 6^(th) Edition, 2001, 2256-2316; kutok, J. L. & Aster J. C., J. Clin. Oncol., 2002, 20, 3691-3702; Wan, W. et al., Blood, 2006, 107, 1617-1623. This mutant protein, NMP-ALK, possesses a constitutively active tyrosine kinase domain that is responsible for its oncogenic property through activation of downstream effectors (Falini, B and al., Blood, 1999, 94, 3509-3515; Morris, S. W. et al., Brit. J. Haematol., 2001, 113, 275-295). Experimental data have demonstrated that the aberrant expression of constitutuvely active ALK is directly implicated in the pathogenesis of ALCL and that inhibition of ALK can markedly impair the growth of ALK positive lymphoma cells (Kuefer, Mu et al., Blood, 1997, 90, 2901-2910; Bai, R. Y. et al., Exp. Hematol., 2001, 29, 1082-1090; Slupianek, A. et al., Cancer Res., 2001, 61, 2194-2199; Turturro, F. et al., Clin. Cancer. Res., 2002, 8, 240-245). The constitutively activated chimeric ALK has also been demonstrated in about 60% of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs), a slow growing sarcoma that mainly affects children and young adults (Lawrence, B. et al., Am. J. Pathol., 2000, 157, 377-384). Furthermore, recent reports have also described the occurrence of a variant ALK fusion, TPM4-ALK, in cases of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the esophagus (Jazzi fr., et al., World J. Gastroenterol., 2006, 12, 7104-7112; Du X., et al., J. Mol. Med., 2007, 85, 863-875; Aklilu M., Semin. Radiat. Oncol., 2007, 17, 62-69). Thus, ALK is one of the few examples of an RTK implicated in oncogenesis in both non-hematopoietic and hematopoietic malignancies. More recently it has been shown that a small inversion within chromosome 2p results in the formation of a fusion gene comprising portions of the echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4 (EML4) gene and the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells (Soda M., et al., Nature, 2007, 448, 561-567).

We therefore envision that an ALK inhibitor would either permit durable cures when used as a single therapeutic agent or combined with current chemotherapy for ALCL, IMT, proliferative disorders, glioblastoma and other possible solid tumors cited herein, or, as a single therapeutic agent, could be used in a maintenance role to prevent recurrence in patients in need of such a treatment.

Pharmaceutical Methods

The method of the invention comprises administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a compound of the invention.

A “therapeutically effective amount” is that amount effective for detectable killing or inhibition of the growth or spread of cancer cells; the size or number of tumors; or other measure of the level, stage, progression or severity of the cancer. The exact amount required will vary from subject to subject, depending on the species, age, and general condition of the subject, the severity of the disease, the particular anticancer agent, its mode of administration, combination treatment with other therapies, and the like.

The compound, or a composition containing the compound, may be administered using any amount and any route of administration effective for killing or inhibiting the growth of tumors or other forms of cancer.

The anticancer compounds of the invention are preferably formulated in dosage unit form for ease of administration and uniformity of dosage. The expression “dosage unit form” as used herein refers to a physically discrete unit of anticancer agent appropriate for the patient to be treated. As is normally the case, the total daily usage of the compounds and compositions of the present invention will be decided by the attending physician using routine reliance upon sound medical judgment. The specific therapeutically effective dose level for any particular patient or organism will depend upon a variety of factors including the disorder being treated; the severity of the disorder; the potency of the specific compound employed; the specific composition employed; the age, body weight, general health, sex and diet of the patient; the route and schedule of administration; the rate of metabolism and/or excretion of the compound; the duration of the treatment; drugs used in combination or coincident with administration of the compound of this invention; and like factors well known in the medical arts.

Furthermore, after formulation with an appropriate pharmaceutically acceptable carrier in a desired dosage, the compositions of this invention can be administered to humans and other animals orally, rectally, parenterally, intracisternally, intravaginally, intraperitoneally, topically (as by transdermal patch, powders, ointments, or drops), sublingually, bucally, as an oral or nasal spray, or the like.

The effective systemic dose of the compound will typically be in the range of 0.01 to 500 mg of compound per kg of patient body weight, preferably 0.1 to 125 mg/kg, and in some cases 1 to 25 mg/kg, administered in single or multiple doses. Generally, the compound may be administered to patients in need of such treatment in a daily dose range of about 50 to about 2000 mg per patient. Administration may be once or multiple times daily, weekly (or at some other multiple-day interval) or on an intermittent schedule. For example, the compound may be administered one or more times per day on a weekly basis (e.g. every Monday) indefinitely or for a period of weeks, e.g. 4-10 weeks. Alternatively, it may be administered daily for a period of days (e.g. 2-10 days) followed by a period of days (e.g. 1-30 days) without administration of the compound, with that cycle repeated indefinitely or for a given number of repetitions, e.g. 4-10 cycles. As an example, a compound of the invention may be administered daily for 5 days, then discontinued for 9 days, then administered daily for another 5 day period, then discontinued for 9 days, and so on, repeating the cycle indefinitely, or for a total of 4-10 times.

The amount of compound which will be effective in the treatment or prevention of a particular disorder or condition will depend in part on well known factors affecting drug dosage. In addition, in vitro or in vivo assays may optionally be employed to help identify optimal dosage ranges. A rough guide to effective doses may be extrapolated from dose-response curves derived from in vitro or animal model test systems. The precise dosage level should be determined by the attending physician or other health care provider and will depend upon well known factors, including route of administration, and the age, body weight, sex and general health of the individual; the nature, severity and clinical stage of the disease; the use (or not) of concomitant therapies; and the nature and extent of genetic engineering of cells in the patient.

When administered for the treatment or inhibition of a particular disease state or disorder, the effective dosage of the compound of this invention may vary depending upon the particular compound utilized, the mode of administration, the condition, and severity thereof, of the condition being treated, as well as the various physical factors related to the individual being treated. In many cases, satisfactory results may be obtained when the compound is administered in a daily dosage of from about 0.01 mg/kg-500 mg/kg, preferably between 0.1 and 125 mg/kg, and more preferably between 1 and 25 mg/kg. The projected daily dosages are expected to vary with route of administration. Thus, parenteral dosing will often be at levels of roughly 10% to 20% of oral dosing levels.

When the compound of this invention is used as part of a combination regimen, dosages of each of the components of the combination are administered during a desired treatment period. The components of the combination may administered at the same time; either as a unitary dosage form containing both components, or as separate dosage units; the components of the combination can also be administered at different times during a treatment period, or one may be administered as a pretreatment for the other.

Regarding the Compounds

Compounds of present invention can exist in free form for treatment, or where appropriate, as a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or other derivative. As used herein, the term “pharmaceutically acceptable salt” refers to those salts which are, within the scope of sound medical judgment, suitable for use in contact with the tissues of humans and lower animals without undue toxicity, irritation, allergic response and the like, and are commensurate with a reasonable benefit/risk ratio. Pharmaceutically acceptable salts of amines, carboxylic acids, phosphonates and other types of compounds, are well known in the art. For example, S. M. Berge, et al. describe pharmaceutically acceptable salts in detail in J. Pharmaceutical Sciences, 66: 1-19 (1977), incorporated herein by reference. The salts can be prepared in situ during the isolation and purification of the compounds of the invention, or separately by reacting the free base or free acid of a compound of the invention with a suitable base or acid, respectively. Examples of pharmaceutically acceptable, nontoxic acid addition salts are salts of an amino group formed with inorganic acids such as hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, phosphoric acid, sulfuric acid and perchloric acid or with organic acids such as acetic acid, oxalic acid, maleic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, succinic acid or malonic acid or by using other methods used in the art such as ion exchange. Other pharmaceutically acceptable salts include adipate, alginate, ascorbate, aspartate, benzenesulfonate, benzoate, bisulfate, borate, butyrate, camphorate, camphorsulfonate, citrate, cyclopentanepropionate, digluconate, dodecylsulfate, ethanesulfonate, formate, fumarate, glucoheptonate, glycerophosphate, gluconate, hernisulfate, heptanoate, hexanoate, hydroiodide, 2-hydroxy-ethanesulfonate, lactobionate, lactate, laurate, lauryl sulfate, malate, maleate, malonate, methanesulfonate, 2-naphthalenesulfonate, nicotinate, nitrate, oleate, oxalate, palmitate, pamoate, pectinate, persulfate, 3-phenylpropionate, phosphate, picrate, pivalate, propionate, stearate, succinate, sulfate, tartrate, thiocyanate, p-toluenesulfonate, undecanoate, valerate salts, and the like. Representative alkali or alkaline earth metal salts include sodium, lithium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and the like. Further pharmaceutically acceptable salts include, when appropriate, nontoxic ammonium, quaternary ammonium, and amine cations formed using counterions such as halide, hydroxide, carboxylate, sulfate, phosphate, nitrate, loweralkyl sulfonate and aryl sulfonate.

Additionally, as used herein, the term “pharmaceutically acceptable ester” refers preferably to esters which hydrolyze in vivo and include those that break down readily in the human body to leave the parent compound or a salt thereof. Suitable ester groups include, for example, those derived from pharmaceutically acceptable aliphatic carboxylic acids, particularly alkanoic, alkenoic, cycloalkanoic and alkanedioic acids, in which each alkyl or alkenyl moiety advantageously has not more than 6 carbon atoms. Examples of particular esters include formates, acetates, propionates, butyrates, acrylates and ethylsuccinates. Obviously, esters can be formed with a hydroxyl or carboxylic acid group of the compound of the invention.

Furthermore, the term “pharmaceutically acceptable prodrugs” as used herein refers to those prodrugs of the compounds of the present invention which are, within the scope of sound medical judgment, suitable for use in contact with the tissues of humans and lower animals with undue toxicity, irritation, allergic response, and the like, commensurate with a reasonable benefit/risk ratio, and effective for their intended use, as well as the zwitterionic forms, where possible, of the compounds of the invention. The term “prodrug” refers to compounds that are transformed in vivo to yield the parent compound of the above formula, for example by hydrolysis in blood. See, e.g., T. Higuchi and V. Stella, Pro-drugs as Novel Delivery Systems, Vol. 14 of the A.C.S. Symposium Series, and Edward B. Roche, ed., Bioreversible Carriers in Drug Design, American Pharmaceutical Association and Pergamon Press, 1987, both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Compositions

Accordingly, compositions are provided, which comprise any one of the compounds described herein (or a prodrug, pharmaceutically acceptable salt or other pharmaceutically acceptable derivative thereof), and one or more pharmaceutically acceptable carriers or excipients. These compositions optionally further comprise one or more additional therapeutic agents. Alternatively, a compound of this invention may be administered to a patient in need thereof in combination with the administration of one or more other therapeutic regimens (e.g. Gleevec or other kinase inhibitors, interferon, bone marrow transplant, farnesyl transferase inhibitors, bisphosphonates, thalidomide, cancer vaccines, hormonal therapy, antibodies, radiation, etc). For example, additional therapeutic agents for conjoint administration or inclusion in a pharmaceutical composition with a compound of this invention may be another one or more anticancer agents.

As described herein, the compositions of the present invention comprise a compound of the invention together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, which, as used herein, includes any and all solvents, diluents, or other vehicle, dispersion or suspension aids, surface active agents, isotonic agents, thickening or emulsifying agents, preservatives, solid binders, lubricants and the like, as suited to the particular dosage form desired. Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, Fifteenth Edition, E. W. Martin (Mack Publishing Co., Easton, Pa., 1975) discloses various carriers used in formulating pharmaceutical compositions and known techniques for the preparation thereof. Except insofar as any conventional carrier medium is incompatible with the compounds of the invention, such as by producing any undesirable biological effect or otherwise interacting in a deleterious manner with any other component(s) of the pharmaceutical composition, its use is contemplated to be within the scope of this invention. Some examples of materials which can serve as pharmaceutically acceptable carriers include, but are not limited to, sugars such as lactose, glucose and sucrose; starches such as corn starch and potato starch; cellulose and its derivatives such as sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose and cellulose acetate; powdered tragacanth; malt; gelatin; talc; excipients such as cocoa butter and suppository waxes; oils such as peanut oil, cottonseed oil; safflower oil; sesame oil; olive oil; corn oil and soybean oil; glycols; such a propylene glycol; esters such as ethyl oleate and ethyl laurate; agar; buffering agents such as magnesium hydroxide and aluminum hydroxide; alginic acid; pyrogen-free water; isotonic saline; Ringer's solution; ethyl alcohol, and phosphate buffer solutions, as well as other non-toxic compatible lubricants such as sodium lauryl sulfate and magnesium stearate, as well as coloring agents, releasing agents, coating agents, sweetening, flavoring and perfuming agents, preservatives and antioxidants can also be present in the composition.

Formulations

This invention also encompasses a class of compositions comprising the active compounds of this invention in association with one or more pharmaceutically-acceptable carriers and/or diluents and/or adjuvants (collectively referred to herein as “carrier” materials) and, if desired, other active ingredients. The active compounds of the present invention may be administered by any suitable route, preferably in the form of a pharmaceutical composition adapted to such a route, and in a dose effective for the treatment intended. The compounds and compositions of the present invention may, for example, be administered orally, mucosally, topically, rectally, pulmonarily such as by inhalation spray, or parentally including intravascularly, intravenously, intraperitoneally, subcutaneously, intramuscularly, intrasternally and infusion techniques, in dosage unit formulations containing conventional pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, adjuvants, and vehicles.

The pharmaceutically active compounds of this invention can be processed in accordance with conventional methods of pharmacy to produce medicinal agents for administration to patients, including humans and other mammals.

For oral administration, the pharmaceutical composition may be in the form of, for example, a tablet, capsule, suspension or liquid. The pharmaceutical composition is preferably made in the form of a dosage unit containing a particular amount of the active ingredient.

Examples of such dosage units are tablets or capsules. For example, these may contain an amount of active ingredient from about 1 to 2000 mg, preferably from about 1 to 500 mg, more commonly from about 5 to 200 mg. A suitable daily dose for a human or other mammal may vary depending on the condition of the patient and other factors, but, once again, can be determined using routine methods.

The amount of compounds which are administered and the dosage regimen for treating a disease condition with the compounds and/or compositions of this invention depends on a variety of factors, including the age, weight, sex and medical condition of the subject, the type of disease, the severity of the disease, the route and frequency of administration, and the particular compound employed. Thus, the dosage regimen may vary widely, but can be determined routinely using standard methods. A typical daily dose is in the range of 0.01 to 500 mg of compound per kg body weight, preferably between 0.1 and 125 mg/kg body weight and in some cases between 1 and 25 mg/kg body weight. As mentioned previously, the daily dose can be given in one administration or may be divided between 2, 3, 4 or more administrations.

For therapeutic purposes, the active compounds of this invention are ordinarily combined with one or more adjuvants, excipients or carriers appropriate to the indicated route of administration. If administered per os, the compounds may be admixed with lactose, sucrose, starch powder, cellulose esters of alkanoic acids, cellulose alkyl esters, talc, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, magnesium oxide, sodium and calcium salts of phosphoric and sulfuric acids, gelatin, acacia gum, sodium alginate, polyvinylpyrrolidone, and/or polyvinyl alcohol, and then tableted or encapsulated for convenient administration. Such capsules or tablets may contain a controlled-release formulation as may be provided in a dispersion of active compound in hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose.

In the case of skin conditions, it may be preferable to apply a topical preparation of compounds of this invention to the affected area two to four times a day.

Formulations suitable for topical administration include liquid or semi-liquid preparations suitable for penetration through the skin (e.g., liniments, lotions, ointments, creams, or pastes) and drops suitable for administration to the eye, ear, or nose. A suitable topical dose of active ingredient of a compound of the invention is 0.1 mg to 150 mg administered one to four, preferably one or two times daily. For topical administration, the active ingredient may comprise from 0.001% to 10% w/w, e.g., from 1% to 2% by weight of the formulation, although it may comprise as much as 10% w/w, but preferably not more than 5% w/w, and more preferably from 0.1% to 1% of the formulation.

When formulated in an ointment, the active ingredients may be employed with either paraffinic or a water-miscible ointment base. Alternatively, the active ingredients may be formulated in a cream with an oil-in-water cream base. If desired, the aqueous phase of the cream base may include, for example at Least 30% w/w of a polyhydric alcohol such as propylene glycol, butane-1,3-diol, mannitol, sorbitol, glycerol, polyethylene glycol and mixtures thereof. The topical formulation may desirably include a compound which enhances absorption or penetration of the active ingredient through the skin or other affected areas. Examples of such dermal penetration enhancers include dimethylsulfoxide and related analogs.

The compounds of this invention can also be administered by a transdermal device. Preferably transdermal administration will be accomplished using a patch either of the reservoir and porous membrane type or of a solid matrix variety. In either case, the active agent is delivered—continuously from the reservoir or microcapsules through a membrane into the active agent permeable adhesive, which is in contact with the skin or mucosa of the recipient. If the active agent is absorbed through the skin, a controlled and predetermined flow of the active agent is administered to the recipient. In the case of microcapsules, the encapsulating agent may also function as the membrane.

The oily phase of the emulsions of this invention may be constituted from known ingredients in a known manner.

While the phase may comprise merely an emulsifier, it may comprise a mixture of at least one emulsifier with a fat or an oil or with both a fat and an oil. Preferably, a hydrophilic emulsifier is included together with a lipophilic emulsifier which acts as a stabilizer. It is also preferred to include both an oil and a fat. Together, the emulsifier(s) with or without stabilizer(s) make-up the so-called emulsifying wax, and the wax together with the oil and fat make up the so-called emulsifying ointment base which forms the oily dispersed phase of the cream formulations. Emulsifiers and emulsion stabilizers suitable for use in the formulation of the present invention include Tween 60, Span 80, cetostearyl alcohol, myristyl alcohol, glyceryl monostearate, sodium lauryl sulfate, glyceryl distearate alone or with a wax, or other materials well known in the art.

The choice of suitable oils or fats for the formulation is based on achieving the desired cosmetic properties, since the solubility of the active compound in most oils likely to be used in pharmaceutical emulsion formulations is very low. Thus, the cream should preferably be a non-greasy, non-staining and washable product with suitable consistency to avoid leakage from tubes or other containers. Straight or branched chain, mono- or dibasic alkyl esters such as di-isoadipate, isocetyl stearate, propylene glycol diester of coconut fatty acids, isopropyl myristate, decyl oleate, isopropyl palmitate, butyl stearate, 2-ethylhexyl palmitate or a blend of branched chain esters may be used. These may be used alone or in combination depending on the properties required.

Alternatively, high melting point lipids such as white soft paraffin and/or liquid paraffin or other mineral oils can be used.

Formulations suitable for topical administration to the eye also include eye drops wherein the active ingredients are dissolved or suspended in suitable carrier, especially an aqueous solvent for the active ingredients.

The active ingredients are preferably present in such formulations in a concentration of 0.5 to 20%, advantageously 0.5 to 10% and particularly about 1.5% w/w.

Formulations for parenteral administration may be in the form of aqueous or non-aqueous isotonic sterile injection solutions or suspensions. These solutions and suspensions may be prepared from sterile powders or granules using one or more of the carriers or diluents mentioned for use in the formulations for oral administration or by using other suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents. The compounds may be dissolved in water, polyethylene glycol, propylene glycol, ethanol, corn oil, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, sesame oil, benzyl alcohol, sodium chloride, tragacanth gum, and/or various buffers.

Other adjuvants and modes of administration are well and widely known in the pharmaceutical art. The active ingredient may also be administered by injection as a composition with suitable carriers including saline, dextrose, or water, or with cyclodextrin (i.e. Captisol), cosolvent solubilization (i.e. propylene glycol) or micellar solubilization (i.e. Tween 80).

The sterile injectable preparation may also be a sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non-toxic parenterally acceptable diluent or solvent, for example as a solution in 1,3-butanediol. Among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water, Ringer's solution, and isotonic sodium chloride solution. In addition, sterile, fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium. For this purpose any bland fixed oil may be employed, including synthetic mono- or diglycerides. In addition, fatty acids such as oleic acid find use in the preparation of injectables.

For pulmonary administration, the pharmaceutical composition may be administered in the form of an aerosol or with an inhaler including dry powder aerosol.

Suppositories for rectal administration of the drug can be prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable nonirritating excipient such as cocoa butter and polyethylene glycols that are solid at ordinary temperatures but liquid at the rectal temperature and will therefore melt in the rectum and release the drug.

The pharmaceutical compositions may be subjected to conventional pharmaceutical operations such as sterilization and/or may contain conventional adjuvants, such as preservatives, stabilizers, wetting agents, emulsifiers, buffers etc. Tablets and pills can additionally be prepared with enteric coatings. Such compositions may also comprise adjuvants, such as wetting, sweetening, flavoring, and perfuming agents.

Pharmaceutical compositions of this invention comprise a compound of the formulas described herein or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; an additional agent selected from a kinase inhibitory agent (small molecule, polypeptide, antibody, etc.), an immunosuppressant, an anticancer agent, an anti-viral agent, antiinflammatory agent, antifungal agent, antibiotic, or an anti-vascular hyperproliferation compound; and any pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, adjuvant or vehicle.

Alternate compositions of this invention comprise a compound of the formulae described herein or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, adjuvant or vehicle. Such compositions may optionally comprise one or more additional therapeutic agents, including, for example, kinase inhibitory agents (small molecule, polypeptide, antibody, etc.), immunosuppressants, anti-cancer agents, anti-viral agents, antiinflammatory agents, antifungal agents, antibiotics, or anti-vascular hyperproliferation compounds.

The term “pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or adjuvant” refers to a carrier or adjuvant that may be administered to a patient, together with a compound of this invention, and which does not destroy the pharmacological activity thereof and is nontoxic when administered in doses sufficient to deliver a therapeutic amount of the compound.

Pharmaceutically acceptable carriers, adjuvants and vehicles that may be used in the pharmaceutical compositions of this invention include, but are not limited to, ion exchangers, alumina, aluminum stearate, lecithin, selfemulsifying drug delivery systems (SEDDS) such as d-atocopherol polyethyleneglycol 1000 succinate, surfactants used in pharmaceutical dosage forms such as Tweens or other similar polymeric delivery matrices, serum proteins, such as human serum albumin, buffer substances such as phosphates, glycine, sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, partial glyceride mixtures of saturated vegetable fatty acids, water, salts or electrolytes, such as protamine sulfate, disodium hydrogen phosphate, potassium hydrogen phosphate, sodium chloride, zinc salts, colloidal silica, magnesium trisilicate, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, cellulose-based substances, polyethylene glycol, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, polyacrylates, waxes, polyethylene-polyoxypropylene-block polymers, polyethylene glycol and wool fat. Cyclodextrins such as u-, P-, and y-cyclodextrin, or chemically modified derivatives such as hydroxyalkylcyclodextrins, including 2 and 3-hydroxypropyl-cyclodextrins, or other solubilized derivatives may also be advantageously used to enhance delivery of compounds of the formulae described herein.

The pharmaceutical compositions of this invention may be orally administered in any orally acceptable dosage form including, but not limited to, capsules, tablets, emulsions and aqueous suspensions, dispersions and solutions. In the case of tablets for oral use, carriers which are commonly used include lactose and corn starch. Lubricating agents, such as magnesium stearate, are also typically added. For oral administration in a capsule form, useful diluents include lactose and dried corn starch. When aqueous suspensions and/or emulsions are administered orally, the active ingredient may be suspended or dissolved in an oily phase is combined with emulsifying and/or suspending agents.

If desired, certain sweetening and/or flavoring and/or coloring agents may be added.

The pharmaceutical compositions of this invention may comprise formulations utilizing liposome or microencapsulation techniques, various examples of which are known in the art.

The pharmaceutical compositions of this invention may be administered by nasal aerosol or inhalation. Such compositions are prepared according to techniques well known in the art of pharmaceutical formulation and may be prepared as solutions in saline, employing benzyl alcohol or other suitable preservatives, absorption promoters to enhance bioavailability, fluorocarbons, and/or other solubilizing or dispersing agents, examples of which are also well known in the art.

Combinations

While the compounds of the invention can be administered as the sole active pharmaceutical agent, they can also be used in combination with one or more other compounds of the invention or with one or more other agents. When administered as a combination, the therapeutic agents can be formulated as separate compositions that are administered at the same time or sequentially at different times, or the therapeutic agents can be given as a single composition.

The phrase “combination therapy”, in referring to the use of a compound of this invention together with another pharmaceutical agent, means the coadministration of each agent in a substantially simultaneous manner as well as the administration of each agent in a sequential manner, in either case, in a regimen that will provide beneficial effects of the drug combination. Coadministration includes inter alia the simultaneous delivery, e.g., in a single tablet, capsule, injection or other dosage form having a fixed ratio of these active agents, as well as the simultaneous delivery in multiple, separate dosage forms for each agent respectively.

Thus, the administration of compounds of the present invention may be in conjunction with additional therapies known to those skilled in the art in the prevention or treatment of cancer, such as radiation therapy or cytostatic agents, cytotoxic agents, other anti-cancer agents and other drugs to ameliorate symptoms of the cancer or side effects of any of the drugs.

If formulated as a fixed dose, such combination products employ the compounds of this invention within the accepted dosage ranges. Compounds of this invention may also be administered sequentially with other anticancer or cytotoxic agents when a combination formulation is inappropriate. The invention is not limited in the sequence of administration; compounds of this invention may be administered prior to, simultaneously with, or after administration of the other anticancer or cytotoxic agent.

Currently, standard treatment of primary tumors consists of surgical excision, when appropriate, followed by either radiation or chemotherapy, and typically administered intravenously (IV). The typical chemotherapy regime consists of either DNA alkylating agents, DNA intercalating agents, CDK inhibitors, or microtubule poisons. The chemotherapy doses used are just below the maximal tolerated dose and therefore dose limiting toxicities typically include, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, hair loss, neutropenia and the like.

There are large numbers of antineoplastic agents available in commercial use, in clinical evaluation and in pre-clinical development, which would be selected for treatment of cancer by combination drug chemotherapy. And there are several major categories of such antineoplastic agents, namely, antibiotic-type agents, alkylating agents, antimetabolite agents, hormonal agents, immunological agents, interferon-type agents and a category of miscellaneous agents.

A first family of antineoplastic agents which may be used in combination with compounds of the present invention includes antimetabolite-type/thymidilate synthase inhibitor antineoplastic agents. Suitable antimetabolite antineoplastic agents may be selected from but not limited to the group consisting of 5-FU-fibrinogen, acanthifolic acid, aminothiadiazole, brequinar sodium, carmofur, CibaGeigy CGP-30694, cyclopentyl cytosine, cytarabine phosphate stearate, cytarabine conjugates, Lilly DATHF, Merrel Dow DDFC, dezaguanine, dideoxycytidine, dideoxyguanosine, didox, Yoshitomi DMDC, doxifluridine, Wellcome EHNA, Merck & Co.

EX-015, fazarabine, floxuridine, fludarabine phosphate, 5-fluorouracil, N-(21-furanidyl) fluorouracil, Daiichi Seiyaku FO-152, isopropyl pyrrolizine, Lilly LY-188011, Lilly LY-264618, methobenzaprim, methotrexate, Wellcome MZPES, norspermidine, NCI NSC-127716, NCI NSC-264880, NCI NSC-39661, NCI NSC-612567, Warner-Lambert PALA, pentostatin, piritrexim, plicamycin, Asahi Chemical PL-AC, Takeda TAC788, thioguanine, tiazofurin, Erbamont trimetrexate, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, Taiho UFT and uricytin.

A second family of antineoplastic agents which may be used in combination with compounds of the present invention consists of alkylating-type antineoplastic agents. Suitable alkylating-type antineoplastic agents may be selected from but not limited to the group consisting of Shionogi 254-S, aldo-phosphamide analogues, altretamine, anaxirone, Boehringer Mannheim BBR-2207, bestrabucil, budotitane, Wakunaga CA-102, carboplatin, carmustine, Chinoin-139, Chinoin-153, chlorambucil, cisplatin, cyclophosphamide, American Cyanamid CL-286558, Sanofi CY-233, cyplatate, Degussa D 384, Sumimoto DACHP(Myr)₂, diphenylspiromustine, diplatinum cytostatic, Erba distamycin derivatives, Chugai DWA-2114R, ITI E09, elmustine, Erbamont FCE-24517, estramustine phosphate sodium, fotemustine, Unimed G M, Chinoin GYKI-17230, hepsulfam, ifosfamide, iproplatin, lomustine, mafosfamide, mitolactolf Nippon Kayaku NK-121, NCI NSC-264395, NCI NSC-342215, oxaliplatin, Upjohn PCNU, prednimustine, Proter PTT-119, ranimustine, semustine, SmithKline SK&F-101772, Yakult Honsha SN-22, spiromus-tine, Tanabe Seiyaku TA-077, tauromustine, temozolomide, teroxirone, tetraplatin and trimelamol.

A third family of antineoplastic agents which may be used in combination with compounds of the present invention consists of antibiotic-type antineoplastic agents. Suitable antibiotic-type antineoplastic agents may be selected from but not limited to the group consisting of Taiho 4181-A, aclarubicin, actinomycin D, actinoplanone, Erbamont ADR-456, aeroplysinin derivative, Ajinomoto AN II, Ajinomoto AN3, Nippon Soda anisomycins, anthracycline, azino-mycin-A, bisucaberin, Bristol-Myers BL-6859, Bristol-Myers BMY-25067, Bristol-Myers BNY-25551, Bristol-Myers BNY-26605 IBristolMyers BNY-27557, Bristol-Myers BMY-28438, bleomycin sulfate, bryostatin-1, Taiho C-1027, calichemycin, chromoximycin, dactinomycin, daunorubicin, Kyowa Hakko DC-102, Kyowa Hakko DC-79, Kyowa Hakko DC-88A, Kyowa Hakko, DC89-Al, Kyowa Hakko DC92-B, ditrisarubicin B, Shionogi DOB-41, doxorubicin, doxorubicin-fibrinogen, elsamicin-A, epirubicin, erbstatin, esorubicin, esperamicin-Al, esperamicin-Alb, Erbamont FCE21954, Fujisawa FK-973, fostriecin, Fujisawa FR-900482, glidobactin, gregatin-A, grincamycin, herbimycin, idarubicin, illudins, kazusamycin, kesarirhodins, Kyowa Hakko KM-5539, Kirin Brewery KRN-8602, Kyowa Hakko KT-5432, Kyowa Hakko KT-5594, Kyowa Hakko KT-6149, American Cyanamid LL-D49194, Meiji Seika ME 2303, menogaril, mitomycin, mitoxantrone, SmithKline M-TAG, neoenactin, Nippon Kayaku NK-313, Nippon Kayaku NKT-01, SRI International NSC-357704, oxalysine, oxaunomycin, peplomycin, pilatin, pirarubicin, porothramycin, pyrindanycin A, Tobishi RA-I, rapamycin, rhizoxin, rodorubicin, sibanomicin, siwenmycin, Sumitomo SM5887, Snow Brand SN-706, Snow Brand SN-07, sorangicin-A, sparsomycin, SS Pharmaceutical SS-21020, SS Pharmaceutical SS-7313B, SS Pharmaceutical SS-9816B, steffimycin B, Taiho 4181-2, talisomycin, Takeda TAN-868A, terpentecin, thrazine, tricrozarin A, Upjohn U-73975, Kyowa Hakko UCN-10028A, Fujisawa WF-3405, Yoshitomi Y-25024 and zorubicin.

A fourth family of antineoplastic agents which may be used in combination with compounds of the present invention consists of a miscellaneous family of antineoplastic agents, including tubulin interacting agents, topoisomerase II inhibitors, topoisomerase I inhibitors and hormonal agents, selected from but not limited to the group consisting of (xcarotene, (X-difluoromethyl-arginine, acitretin, Biotec AD-5, Kyorin AHC-52, alstonine, amonafide, amphethinile, amsacrine, Angiostat, ankinomycin, anti-neoplaston A10, antineoplaston A2, antineoplaston A3, antineoplaston A5. antineoplaston AS2-1F Henkel APD, aphidicolin glycinate, asparaginase, Avarol, baccharin, batracylin, benfluoron, benzotript, Ipsen-Beaufour BIM-23015, bisantrene, BristoMyers BNY-40481, Vestar boron-10, bromofosfamide, Wellcome BW-502, Wellcome BW-773, caracemide, carmethizole hydrochloride, Ajinomoto CDAF, chlorsulfaquinoxalone, Chemes CHX-2053, Chemex CHX-100, Warner-Lambert CI-921, WarnerLambert CI-937, Warner-Lambert CI-941, Warner-Lambert CI958, clanfenur, claviridenone, ICN compound 1259, ICN compound 4711, Contracan, Yakult Honsha CPT-11, crisnatol, curaderm, cytochalasin B. cytarabine, cytocytin, Merz D-609, DABIS maleate, dacarbazine, datelliptinium, didemnin-B, dihaematoporphyrin ether, dihydrolenperone, dinaline, distamycin, Toyo Pharmar DM-341, Toyo Pharmar DM-75, Daiichi Seiyaku DN-9693, docetaxel elliprabin, elliptinium acetate, Tsumura EPMTC, the epothilones, ergotamine, etoposide, etretinate, fenretinide, Fujisawa FR-57704t gallium nitrate, genkwadaphnin, Chugai GLA-43, Glaxo GR-63178, grifolan NMF5N, hexadecylphosphocholine, Green Cross HO-221, homoharringtonine, hydroxyurea, BTG ICRF-187, ilmofosine, isoglutamine, isotretinoin, Otsuka JI-36, Ramot K-477, Otsuak K-76COONa, Kureha Chemical K-AM, MECT Corp KI-8110, American Cyanamid L-623, leukoregulin, lonidamine, Lundbeck LU 1121 Lilly LY-186641, NCI (US) MAP, marycin, Merrel Dow MDL-27048, Medco MEDR-340, merbarone, merocyanlne derivatives, methylanilinoacridine, Molecular Genetics MGI136, minactivin, mitonafide, mitoquidone mopidamol, motretinide, Zenyaku Kogyo MST-16, N-(retinoyl)amino acids, Nisshin Flour Milling N-021, N-acylated-dehydroalanines, nafazatrom, Taisho NCU-190, nocodazole derivative, Normosang, NCI NSC-145813, NCI NSC-361456, NCI NSC-604782, NCI NSC-95580, ocreotide, Ono ONO-112, oquizanocine, Akzo Org-10172, paclitaxel, pancratistatin, pazelliptine, WarnerLambert PD-111707, Warner-Lambert PD-115934, Warner-Lambert PD-131141, Pierre Fabre PE-1001, ICRT peptide D, piroxantrone, polyhaematoporphyrin, polypreic acid, Efamol porphyrin, probimane, procarbazine, proglumide, Invitron protease nexin I, Tobishi RA-700, razoxane, Sapporo Breweries RBS, restrictin-P, retelliptine, retinoic acid, Rhone-Poulenc RP-49532, Rhone-Poulenc RP-56976, SmithKline SK&F-104864, Sumitomo SM-108, Kuraray SMANCS, SeaPharm SP10094, spatol, spirocyclopropane derivatives, spirogermanium, Unimed, SS Pharmaceutical SS-554, strypoldinone, Stypoldione, Suntory SUN 0237, Suntory SUN 2071, superoxide dismutase, Toyama T-506, Toyama T-680, taxol, Teijin TEI-0303, teniposide, thaliblastine, Eastman Kodak TJB-29, tocotrienol, topotecan, Topostin, Teijin TT82, Kyowa Hakko UCN-01, Kyowa Hakko UCN-1028, ukrain, Eastman Kodak USB-006, vinblastine sulfate, vincristine, vindesine, vinestramide, vinorelbine, vintriptol, vinzolidine, withanolides and Yamanouchi YM Alternatively, the present compounds may also be used in co-therapies with other anti-neoplastic agents, such as acemannan, aclarubicin, aldesleukin, alemtuzumab, alitretinoin, altretamine, amifostine, aminolevulinic acid, amrubicin, amsacrine, anagrelide, anastrozole, ANCER, ancestim, ARGLABIN, arsenic trioxide, BAM 002 (Novelos), bexarotene, bicalutamide, broxuridine, capecitabine, celmoleukin, cetrorelix, cladribine, clotrimazole, cytarabine ocfosfate, DA 3030 (Dong-A), daclizumab, denileukin diftitox, deslorelin, dexrazoxane, dilazep, docetaxel, docosanol, doxercalciferol, doxifluridine, doxorubicin, bromocriptine, carmustine, cytarabine, fluorouracil, HIT diclofenac, interferon alfa, daunorubicin, doxorubicin, tretinoin, edelfosine, edrecolomab eflornithine, emitefur, epirubicin, epoetin beta, etoposide phosphate, exemestane, exisulind, fadrozole, filgrastim, finasteride, fludarabine phosphate, formestane, fotemustine, gallium nitrate, gemcitabine, gemtuzumab zogamicin, gimeracil/oteracil/tegafur combination, glycopine, goserelin, heptaplatin, human chorionic gonadotropin, human fetal alpha fetoprotein, ibandronic acid, idarubicin, (imiquimod, interferon alfa, interferon alfa, natural, interferon alfa-2, interferon alfa-2a, interferon alfa-2b, interferon alfa-NI, interferon alfa-n3, interferon alfaconl, interferon alpha, natural, interferon beta, interferon beta-1a, interferon beta-1b, interferon gamma, natural interferon gamma-1a, interferon gamma-1b, interleukin-1 beta, iobenguane, irinotecan, irsogladine, lanreotide, LC 9018 (Yakult), leflunomide, lenograstim, lentinan sulfate, letrozole, leukocyte alpha interferon, leuprorelin, levamisole+fluorouracil, liarozole, lobaplatin, lonidamine, lovastatin, masoprocol, melarsoprol, metoclopramide, mifepristone, miltefosine, mirimostim, mismatched double stranded RNA, mitoguazone, mitolactol, mitoxantrone, molgramostim, nafarelin, naloxone+pentazocine, nartograstim, nedaplatin, nilutamide, noscapine, novel erythropoiesis stimulating protein, NSC 631570 octreotide, oprelvekin, osaterone, oxaliplatin, paclitaxel, pamidronic acid, pegaspargase, peginterferon alfa-2b, pentosan polysulfate sodium, pentostatin, picibanil, pirarubicin, rabbit antithymocyte polyclonal antibody, polyethylene glycol interferon alfa-2a, porfimer sodium, raloxifene, raltitrexed, rasburicase, rhenium Re 186 etidronate, RII retinamide, rituximab, romurtide, samarium (153 Sm) lexidronam, sargramostim, sizofuran, sobuzoxane, sonermin, strontium-89 chloride, suramin, tasonermin, tazarotene, tegafur, temoporfin, temozolomide, teniposide, tetrachlorodecaoxide, thalidomide, thymalfasin, thyrotropin alfa, topotecan, toremifene, tositumomab-iodine 131, trastuzumab, treosulfan, tretinoin, trilostane, trimetrexate, triptorelin, tumor necrosis factor alpha, natural, ubenimex, bladder cancer vaccine, Maruyama. vaccine, melanoma lysate vaccine, valrubicin, verteporfin, vinorelbine, VIRULIZIN, zinostatin stimalamer, or zoledronic acid; abarelix; AE 941 (Aeterna), ambamustine, antisense oligonucleotide, bcl-2 (Genta), APC 8015 (Dendreon), cetuximab, decitabine, dexaminoglutethimide, diaziquone, EL 532 (Elan), EM 800 (Endorecherche), eniluracil, etanidazole, fenretinidel filgrastim SDO1 (Amgen), fulvestrant, galocitabine, gastrin 17 immunogen, HLA-B7 gene therapy (Vical), granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor, histamine dihydrochloride, ibritumomab tiuxetan, ilomastat, IM 862 (Cytran), interleukin iproxifene, LDI 200 (Milkhaus), leridistim, lintuzumab, CA 125 MAb (Biomira), cancer MAb (Japan Pharmaceutical Development), HER-2 and Fc MAb (Medarex), idiotypic 105AD7 MAb (CRC Technology), idiotypic CEA MAb (Trilex), LYM iodine 131 MAb (Techniclone), polymorphic epithelial mucin-yttrium 90 MAb (Antisoma), marimastat, menogaril, mitumomab, motexafin, gadolinium, MX 6 (Galderma), nelarabine, nolatrexed, P 30 protein, pegvisomant, pemetrexed, porfiromycin, prinomastat, RL 0903 (Shire), rubitecan, satraplatin, sodium phenylacetate, sparfosic acid, SRL 172 (SR Pharma), SU 5416 (SUGEN)y SU 6668 (SUGEN), TA 077 (Tanabe), tetrathiomolybdate, thaliblastine, thrombopoietin, tin ethyl etiopurpurin, tirapazamine, cancer vaccine (Biomira), melanoma vaccine (New York University), melanoma vaccine (Sloan Kettering Institute), melanoma oncolysate vaccine (New York Medical College), viral melanoma cell lysates vaccine (Royal Newcastle Hospital), or valspodar.

In another embodiment of interest in this invention, a compound of this invention can be used in combination with other bcr-abl inhibitors such as for example Nilotinib, Dasatinib, Bosutinib and INNO-406. These particular combinations with other bcr-abl inhibitors can be used for the treatment of cancers mediated by dysregulation of Bcr-Abl or mutant thereof such as for example chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Again, we contemplate that compounds of this invention in combination therapies, will be useful against leukemias and other cancers, including those which are resistant in whole or part to other anticancer agents, specifically including Gleevec and other kinase inhibitors, and specifically including leukemias involving one or more mutations in BCR/Abl, within or outside the kinase domain, including but not limited to Y253H, E255K, T315I, F311L and those noted in any of the foregoing publications. See also Azam et al. and references cited therein for examples of such mutations in BCR/Abl, including, among others, mutations in the drug binding cleft, the phosphate binding P loop, the activation loop, the conserved VAVK of the kinase beta-3 sheet, the catalytic alpha-1 helix of the small N lobe, the long alpha-3 helix within the large C lobe, and the region within the C lobe downstream of the activation loop. See also Shah et al., J. Clin. Invest 117(9), 2562-2569 (2007); Stagno et al. Leukemia Research, 32(4), 665-667 (2007); Khorasha et al., blood 112(8), 3500-3507 (2008) for representative examples of such mutations in Bcr/Abl which correlate with dasatinib resistance.

Treatment Kits

In other embodiments, the present invention relates to a kit for conveniently and effectively carrying out the methods in accordance with the present invention. In general, the pharmaceutical pack or kit comprises one or more containers filled with one or more of the ingredients of the pharmaceutical compositions of the invention. Such kits are especially suited for the delivery of solid oral forms such as tablets or capsules. Such a kit preferably includes a number of unit dosages, and may also include a card having the dosages oriented in the order of their intended use. If desired, a memory aid can be provided, for example in the form of numbers, letters, or other markings or with a calendar insert, designating the days in the treatment schedule in which the dosages can be administered. Optionally associated with such container(s) can be a notice in the form prescribed by a governmental agency regulating the manufacture, use or sale of pharmaceutical products, which notice reflects approval by the agency of manufacture, use or sale for human administration.

The following representative examples contain important additional information, exemplification and guidance which can be adapted to the practice of this invention in its various embodiments and the equivalents thereof. These examples are intended to help illustrate the invention, and are not intended to, nor should they be construed to, limit its scope. Indeed, various modifications of the invention, and many further embodiments thereof, in addition to those shown and described herein, will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of this document, including the examples which follow and the references to the scientific and patent literature cited herein. The contents of those cited references are incorporated herein by reference to help illustrate the state of the art. In addition, for purposes of this invention, the chemical elements are identified in accordance with the Periodic Table of the Elements, CAS version, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 75^(th) Ed., inside cover. Additionally, general principles of organic chemistry, as well as specific functional moieties and reactivity, are described in “Organic Chemistry”, Thomas Sorrell, University Science Books, Sausalito: 1999, and “Organic Chemistry”, Morrison & Boyd (3d Ed), the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.

EXAMPLE 1 3-[1-(benzyloxy)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl]-N,N-dimethylbenzamide

Diethyl (5-bromo-3-nitropyridin-2-yl)propanedioate: In a 3-necked flask, NaH (60%, 2.2 g, 54.8 mmol, 1.3 eq) was washed with hexanes under N₂ once. To the flask, 40 ml of dry N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was added and the reaction mixture was cooled to 0° C. To this suspension was added diethylmalonate (8.77 g, 54.8 mmol, 1.3 eq) dropwise. The mixture was stirred at 0° C. for 15 min and at room temperature for 15 min. 5-bromo-2-chloro-3-nitropyridine (9.6 g, 40.4 mmol, 1.0 eq) in 20 ml of DMF was slowly added to the reaction mixture. The reaction was heated to 60° C. for 1 hour and then at 100° C. for 2 hours. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool down to room temperature, water was added, and the solution was neutralized with acetic acid and evaporated. The mixture was chromatographed (EtOAc/Hexanes 1:10) to give a yellow oil, 12.5 g, in 85% yield.

5-bromo-2-methyl-3-nitropyridine: diethyl (5-bromo-3-nitropyridin-2-yl)propanedioate (6.8 g, 18.8 mmol) was refluxed in 290 ml of 6M HCl overnight. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool down to room temperature, and the mixture was neutralized with NaOH in an ice bath to pH 10. The solution was extracted with dichloromethane (DCM), dried, and evaporated to a yellow solid, 3.88 g, in 95% yield.

(E)-2-(5-bromo-3-nitropyridin-2-yl)-N,N-dimethylethenamine: A solution of 5-bromo-2-methyl-3-nitropyridine (3.0 g, 13.8 mmol) and N—N-dimethylformamide-dimethylacetal (DMF-DMA) in 45 ml of DMF was heated at 90° C. for 4 hours, and cooled to room temperature. The solvent was evaporated and the residue dissolved in dichloromethane (DCM), which was washed with saturated NaHCO₃ and brine, and chromatographed (EtOAc/Hexanes 1:10) to give a red solid, 2.86 g, in 76% yield.

6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-ol: A suspension of (E)-2-(5-bromo-3-nitropyridin-2-yl)-N,N-dimethylethenamine (2.86 g, 10.5 mmol) and SnCl₂.2H₂O (12 g, 100 mmol) in 35 ml of ethyl acetate was stirred at room temperature overnight. 100 ml of ethyl acetate was added and the organic layer was washed with saturated NH₄Cl and then with brine. After evaporation, the crude product was chromatographed (MeOH/DCM 1:20) to give a yellow solid, 1.6 g, in 77% yield.

1-(benzyloxy)-6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine: 6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-ol: (2.7 g, 13.7 mmol, 1.0 eq), benzyl bromide (3.57 g, 20.9 mmol, 1.5 eq), and KI (2.31 g) were suspended in 29 ml of 2M K₂CO₃ and 55 ml of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). The reaction was stirred at 50° C. for 1 hour and 100° C. for 1.5 hours. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool down to room temperature, the solvent was evaporated, and the mixture was chromatographed (MeOH/DCM 1:50) to give a light yellow oil, 1.1 g, in 28% yield.

3-[1-(benzyloxy)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl]-N,N-dimethylbenzamide: A solution of 1-(benzyloxy)-6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine (60 mg, 0.21 mmol, 1.0 eq), Pd(PPh₃)₄ (13 mg), 2.0 M K₂CO₃ (1.0 ml), DMF (1.2 ml), and [3-(dimethylcarbamoyl)phenyl]boronic acid (1.5 eq, 0.315 mmol) were reacted in microwave (110° C.) for 20 minutes. The upper layer was removed with a pipette and filtered, and purified with preparation HPLC to give the desired product.

EXAMPLE 2 6-(1-benzothiophen-3-yl)-1-(benzyloxy)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound was prepared from 1-(benzyloxy)-6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and 1-benzothiophen-3-ylboronic acid according to the procedure described in Example 1.

EXAMPLE 3 1-(benzyloxy)-6-(1-methyl-1H-indol-5-yl)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound was prepared from 1-(benzyloxy)-6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and (1-methyl-1H-indol-5-yl)boronic acid according to the procedure described in Example 1.

EXAMPLE 4 (3-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl]ethoxyl-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}phenyl)(morpholin-4-yl)methanone

1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethanol: To 12 ml of methanol at 0° C. was added 1.55 g (41.1 mmol, 1.7 eq) of NaBH₄, followed by a solution of 1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethanone (5.0 g, 24.1 mmol, 1.0 eq) in 10 ml of methanol. The reaction was warmed to room temperature (r.t.) and stirred for 2 hours. A 1.0M HCl solution was added, and the solution was extracted with dichloromethane (DCM), dried, and evaporated to a white solid, 5.6 g, in 111% crude yield. The product was used for next reaction without further purification.

1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethyl methanesulfonate: 1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethanol (5.2 g, 24.9 mmol), methanesulfonyl chloride (6.3 g, 55 mmol, 2.2 eq), and triethylamine (6.1 g) were stirred in 50 ml of DCM and 12 ml of DMF at room temperature overnight. Water and DCM were added, and the layers were separated. The aqueous layer was extracted with DCM. The combined organic layers were dried, evaporated and chromatographed (EtOAc/Hexanes 1:10) to give an oil, 5.11 g, in 71% yield.

6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine: A solution of 1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethyl methanesulfonate (4.39 g, 15.3 mmol, 1.0 eq), 6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-ol (prepared as in example 1: 3.92 g, 20.0 mmol, 1.3 eq) and K₂CO₃ (6.34 g, 45.9 mmol, 3.0 eq) in 90 ml of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was stirred at room temperature overnight. The solid was filtered out and the solvent evaporated. The residue was dissolved in DCM, and the solution was washed with water and brine, dried, evaporated and chromatographed (MeOH/DCM 1:20) to give a light yellow oil, 4.63 g, in 78% yield.

(3-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}phenyl)(morpholin-4-yl)methanone: To a solution of 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine (75 mg, 0.195 mmol, 1.0 eq) in DMF (1.2 mL), was added Pd(PPh₃)₄ (15 mg), 2.0 M K₂CO₃ (1.0 mL), and [3-(morpholin-4-ylcarbonyl)phenyl]boronic acid (1.8 eq, 0.351 mmol). The reaction mixture was microwaved at 90° C. for 30 minutes. The upper layer was removed with a pipette, filtered, and purified with preparation HPLC to give the product.

EXAMPLE 5 3-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}-N-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]benzamide

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and (3-{[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]carbamoyl}phenyl)boronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 6 3-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}-N,N-dimethylbenzamide

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and [3-(dimethylcarbamoyl)phenyl]boronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 7 3-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}benzamide

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and (3-carbamoylphenyl)boronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 8 (3-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}phenyl)Methanol

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and [3-(hydroxymethyl)phenyl]boronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 9 N-cyclopropyl-4-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}benzamide

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and [4-(cyclopropylcarbamoyl)phenyl]boronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 10 3-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}aniline

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and (3-aminophenyl)boronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 11 4-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}-N-(2-hydroxyethyl)benzenesulfonamide

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and {4-[(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfamoyl]phenyl}boronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 12 5-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}quinoline

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and quinolin-5-ylboronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 13 1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-6-(1-methyl-1H-indol-5-yl)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and (1-methyl-1H-indol-5-yl)boronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 14 1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-6-(1H-indol-6-yl)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and 1H-indol-6-ylboronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 15 1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and tert-butyl 4-[4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate according to the procedure described in example 4. The resulting compound (BOC protected compound) was dissolved in methanol and was treated with HCl (4.0M solution in dioxane,) at room temperature for 30 min. Solvents were evaporated and the residue was dissolved in DCM and treated with Na₂CO₃/NaHCO₃ and drops of water. The solution was then purified to give the entitled compound.

tert-butyl 4-[(methylsulfonyl)oxy]piperidine-1-carboxylate: tert-Butyl 4-hydroxypiperidine-1-carboxylate (60.0 g, 0.3 mol, 1.0 eq), methanesulfonyl chloride (37.6 g, 0.33 mol, 1.1 eq), and triethylamine (36.2 g, 0.36 mol, 1.2 eq) in 600 ml of dichloromethane (DCM) was stirred at room temperature overnight. Water (300 ml) was added and the layers were separated. The aqueous layer was extracted with DCM once. The combined organics were washed with brine, dried, and evaporated to a yellowish solid, 80.5 g, in 97% yield.

tert-butyl 4-(4-iodo-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)piperidine-1-carboxylate: A mixture of tert-butyl 4-[(methylsulfonyl)oxy]piperidine-1-carboxylate: (75.5 g, 0.271 mol), 4-iodopyrazole (52.5 g, 0.271 mol), and K₂CO₃ (11.3 g, 0.8 mol) in 1.5 L of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF) was stirred at 100° C. overnight. After cooled to r.t., the solvent was evaporated. The residue was dissolved in DCM, filtered, and washed with water and brine. The organic layer was dried and evaporated to an oil. The crude product was purified by chromatography (MeOH/DCM 1:40) and (EtOH/MeOH 10%-20%) to give 52g of the product as a white solid after standing, in 51% yield.

tert-butyl 4-[4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate: Bis(pinacolato)diboron (14.2 g, 55.9 mmol, 1.4 eq) and potassium acetate (15.8 g, 161 mmol, 4.0 eq) were added to a solution of tert-butyl 4-(4-iodo-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)piperidine-1-carboxylate (15.0 g, 39.8 mmol, 1.0 eq) in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) (173 nil) sequentially under nitrogen. Pd(PPh₃)₄ (3.98 g) was then added. The reaction was heated at 80° C. for 2 hours. The mixture was cooled to room temperature (r.t.), filtered through celite and washed with ethyl acetate. The filtrate was washed with brine twice, dried, and chromatographed (5%-30% of ethyl acetate in hexanes) to give a yellowish solid, 12.5 g, in 83% yield.

EXAMPLE 16 6-(1-benzyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and (1-benzyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl)boronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 17 N-(3-{1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl}phenyl)acetamide

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethoxy]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and [3-(acetylamino)phenyl]boronic acid according to the procedure described in example 4.

EXAMPLE 18 6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1-{[2-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]oxy}-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

tert-butyl 4-[4-(6-methyl-5-nitropyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate: 5-bromo-2-methyl-3-nitropyridine (4.6 g, 21 mmol, 1.0 eq) and 424 mg of Pd(PPh₃)₄ were stirred in dimethoxyethane (DME) (17 ml) at r.t. for 20 min, and then tert-butyl 4-[4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate (prepared as in Example 15) in isopropanol (21 ml) was added followed by a 2.0 M solution of K₂CO₃ (15 ml). The reaction mixture was stirred at 85° C. overnight, the mixture was cooled to room temperature and evaporated. The mixture was purified with ISCO (MeOH/DCM 1:20) to a yellow solid, 7.75 g, in 95% yield.

tert-butyl 4-(4-{6-[(E)-2-(dimethylamino)ethenyl]-5-nitropyridin-3-yl}-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)piperidine-1-carboxylate: A solution of tert-butyl 4-[4-(6-methyl-5-nitropyridin-3-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate (7.7 g) and N—N-dimethylformamide-dimethylacetal (DMF-DMA) (10g) in 50 ml of DMF was heated at 90° C. overnight and cooled to room temperature. The solvent was evaporated and the residue dissolved in DCM, which was washed with sat. NaHCO₃ and brine, and evaporated to give a red solid, 9.0 g of crude product.

tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-hydroxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate: tert-butyl 4-(4-{6-[(E)-2-(dimethylamino)ethenyl]-5-nitropyridin-3-yl}-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)piperidine-1-carboxylate (366 mg, 0.81 mmol) and SnCl₂.2H₂O (966 mg, 4.26 mmol, 5.0 eq) in 3 ml of EtOAc were stirred at r.t. for 2 hours. EtOAc and water were added and layers were separated. The aqueous layer was extracted with EtOAc, washed with sat. NH₄Cl and brine. After evaporation, the crude product was chromatographed (Mesh/DCM 1:20) to give a yellow solid, 170 mg, in 54% yield.

6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1-{[2-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]oxy}-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine: tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-hydroxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate (30 mg, 0.078 mmol, 1.0 eq), 1-(bromomethyl)-2-(trifluoromethyl)benzene (0.066 mmol), and K₂CO₃ (30 mg) in 1.5 ml of DMF were shaken at r.t. for 30 min and then filtered and evaporated. The resulting crude product was dissolved in 1.5 ml of methanol and 0.5 ml of 4.0 M HCl/dioxane was dropped in. The reaction was shaken at room temperature for 0.5-1 h. The solvent was evaporated and the residue was dissolved in 2 ml of DCM. To this solution were added 20 mg of NaHCO₃, 10 mg of Na₂CO₃, and drops of water. After stirred for 10 min, the organic solution was separated and purified with preparation HPLC to give the final product.

EXAMPLE 19 1-{[5-fluoro-2-(trifluoromethyl)benzyl]oxy}-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound is prepared from tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-hydroxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate and 2-(bromomethyl)-4-fluoro-1-(trifluoromethyl)benzene as described in the last 2 steps of Example 18.

EXAMPLE 20 6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1-{[4-(trifluoromethoxy)benzyl]oxy}-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound is prepared from tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-hydroxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate and 1-(bromomethyl)-4-(trifluoromethoxy)benzene as described in the last 2 steps of Example 18.

EXAMPLE 21 6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1-(pyrimidin-2-yloxy)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound is prepared from tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-hydroxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate and 2-bromo-pyrimidine as described in the last 2 steps of Example 18.

EXAMPLE 22 1-{[3-(4-fluorophenoxy)benzyl]oxy}-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound is prepared from tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-hydroxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate and 1-(bromomethyl)-3-(4-fluorophenoxy)benzene as described in the last 2 steps of Example 18.

EXAMPLE 23 6-(1-methyl-1H-indol-5-yl)-1-phenoxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

6-bromo-1-phenoxy-4H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine: 6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-ol (prepared as in Example 1: 200 mg, 1.0 mmol, 1.0 eq), fluorobenzene (485 mg, 5.0 mmol, 5.0 eq), and K₂CO₃ (690 mg, 5.0 mmol, 5.0 eq) in 2 ml of DMF were microwaved (160° C.) for 30 min. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature, the solvent was evaporated, and the mixture was chromatographed (MeOH/DCM 1:20) to give a light yellow solid, 110 mg, in 50% yield.

6-(1-methyl-1H-indol-5-yl)-1-phenoxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine: 6-bromo-1-phenoxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine (56 mg, 0.205 mmol, 1.0 eq), Pd(PPh₃)₄ (13 mg), 2.0 M K₂CO₃ (1.0 ml), DMF (1.2 ml), and (1-methyl-1H-indol-5-yl)boronic acid (1.5 eq, 0.315 mmol) were refluxed under N₂ overnight. The crude products were purified with preparation HPLC to give the product in 50%.

EXAMPLE 24 6-(1-benzofuran-5-yl)-1-phenoxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine

The entitled compound was prepared from 6-bromo-1-phenoxy-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine and 1-benzofuran-5-ylboronic acid in a 25% yield according to the procedure described in example 23.

EXAMPLE 25 N-benzyl-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine

6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine: To a solution of 6-Bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine (1.9 g, 10 mmol) in 20 mL of DMF at 0° C. was added NaH (60% in oil, 0.49 g, 12 mmol) in three portions. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 min. A solution of NH₂Cl in Et₂O (prepared according to the procedure described in J. Org. Chem. 2004, 1371: ˜0.15 M, 80 mL) was added at −20° C. The mixture was warmed up to room temperature for 15 min and was poured into a saturated solution of thiosulfate and ammonium chloride, and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was concentrated and the residue washed with small amount of ethyl acetate to give pink solid (1.3 g, 62% yield)

6-bromo-N-[(E)-phenylmethylidene]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine: A mixture of 6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine (200 mg, 0.95 mmol) and benzaldehyde (120 mg, 1.2 eq) was heated to 60° C. for 10 min. Heptanes (2.0 ml) was added and the mixture was heated to reflux for 10 min. The product was purified by column chromatography (heptane:EtOAc=1:1) to yield a grey solid (130 mg, yield 46%).

N-benzyl-6-bromo-M-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine: A mixture of 6-bromo-N-[(E)-phenylmethylidene]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine (400 mg, 1.34 mmol) in THF (10 mL) was treated with excess amount of LiAlH₄ at room temperature. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 20 min and diluted with aq. NH₄Cl, extracted with ethyl acetate. The product was purified by column chromatography (heptane:EtOAc=1:1). The entitled intermediate was isolated as a white solid (230 mg, yield 57%).

tert-butyl 4-{4-[1-(benzylamino)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl]-1H-pyrazol-1-yl}piperidine-1-carboxylate: This intermediate was prepared using Suzuki coupling reaction of N-benzyl-6-bromo-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridine-1-amine and tert-butyl 4-[4-(4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-1,3,2-dioxaborolan-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate as described in example 1.

N-benzyl-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine: Removal of the BOC protecting group was achieved using HCl/dioxane as described in Example 18.

Alternative Synthesis:

tert-butyl 4-[4-(1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate: To a solution of tert-butyl 4-(4-{6-[(E)-2-(dimethylamino)ethenyl]-5-nitropyridin-3-yl}-1H-pyrazol-1-yl)piperidine-1-carboxylate (prepared in example 18: 4.0 g, 9.05 mmol) in MeOH (50 mL) was added Pd—C (10%, wet, 2.0 g) and the reaction mixture was hydrogenated under a hydrogen balloon at room temperature for 2 h. The catalyst was filtered off and solvent was evaporated. The residue was washed with ethyl acetate to give a solid (3.1 g, yield 93%).

tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-amino-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate: To a solution of tert-butyl 4-[4-(1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate: (0.73 g, 2.0 mmol) in 4.0 mL of DMF at −20° C. was added NaH (60% in oil, 96 mg, 2.4 mmol) in one portion. After 15 min, the mixture was stirred at room temperature for 30 min. A solution of NH₂Cl in Et₂O (prepared according to the procedure described in J. Org. Chem. 2004, 1371: ˜0.15 M, 16 ml) was added. The mixture was poured into a saturated solution of thiosulfate and ammonium chloride, and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was concentrated and the product was purified by column chromatography (EtOAc:MeOH=100:5). The entitled intermediate was isolated as a light brown solid (350 mg, 45% yield) (starting material (220 mg) was also recovered).

tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-{[(E)-phenylmethylidene]amino}-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate: A mixture of tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-amino-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate (30 mg, 0.078 mmol) and benzaldehyde (2.0 mL, excess) was heated to 60° C. for 10 min. Heptanes (4.0 ml) was added and the mixture was heated to reflux for 10 min. The product was purified by column chromatography (EtOAc:MeOH=100:5) and the entitled intermediate was isolated as a white solid (30 mg, 81% yield).

tert-butyl 4-{4-[1-(benzylamino)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl]-1H-pyrazol-1-yl}piperidine-1-carboxylate: A mixture of tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-{[(E)-phenylmethylidene]amino}-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate (200 mg, 0.43 mmol) in MeOH (10 mL) was treated with excess amount of NaBH₄ under reflux. HPLC check indicates disappearance of the starting material. The mixture was diluted with aqueous NaHCO₃, and extracted with ethylacetate. The product was purified by column chromatography (EtOAc:MeOH=100:5) and the entitled intermediate was isolated as a white solid (180 mg, yield 90%).

N-benzyl-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine: A solution of tert-butyl 4-{4-[1-(benzylamino)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl]-1H-pyrazol-1-yl}piperidine-1-carboxylate (25 mg, 0.053 mmol) in MeOH (0.3 mL) was treated with HCl (4.0M solution in dioxane, 1.5 mL) at room temperature for 30 min. Solvents were evaporated and the residue was diluted with aq. NaHCO₃, extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was dried, filtered and evaporated to give a white solid (10 mg, yield 51%).

EXAMPLE 26 N-benzyl-N-methyl-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine

To a solution of tert-butyl 4-{4-[1-(benzylamino)-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl]-1H-pyrazol-1-yl}piperidine-1-carboxylate (prepared in example 25: 125 mg, 0.26 mmol) in 3.0 mL of DMF at 0° C. was added NaH (60% in oil, 31 mg, 0.78 mmol) in one portion. After 15 min, the mixture was treated with methyl iodide. HPLC check shows disappearance of starting material. Solvent was removed and the residue dissolved in ethyl acetate, washed with aqueous NaHCO₃. The organic solution was dried, evaporated and then the residue was treated with methanol (0.5 mL) and HCl (4.0M in dioxane, 2.0 mL) at room temperature for 30 min. The solvent was removed and the residue was purified by preparative HPLC to give product as a white solid (4.1 mg, yield 4%).

EXAMPLE 27 N-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorobenzyl)-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine

(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)methanol: A solution of 3-fluoro-2,6-dichorobenzoic acid (20 g, 0.10 mol) was treated with SOCl₂ (25 mL) under reflux for 10 min. Excess SOCl₂ was removed by evaporation. The residue was dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) (150 mL) and treated with diisobutylaluminium hydride (DIBAL: 1.0 M solution in toluene, 150 mL). The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 1 h and then diluted slowly with aqueous NaHCO₃. The mixture was extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was dried, evaporated and the residue was washed with a small amount of DCM to afford a white solid (14g, yield 72%).

2,6-dichloro-3-fluorobenzaldehyde: To a solution of (2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)methanol (9.0 g, 46 mmol) in dichloromethane (200 mL) was added molecular sieves (4A, powder, 40g) and pyridinium dichromate (PDC: 45g, 120 mmol). The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 h and diluted with Et₂O (200 mL). The mixture was filtered through Celite and the solvent was removed in vacuum. The residue was washed with a small amount of dichloromethane to give a white solid (4.6 g, yield 52%).

tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-{[(E)-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)methylidene]amino}-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate: A mixture of tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-amino-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.26 mmol) and 2,6-dichloro-3-fluorobenzaldehyde (50 mg, 0.26 mmol) in heptane (2.0 mL) was heated in a sealed tube at 120° C. for 15 min. The product was purified by column chromatography (ethyl acetate) to give the desired intermediate as an off-white solid (126 mg, yield 87%).

N-[(E)-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)methylidene]-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine: A solution of tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-{[(E)-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)methylidene]amino}-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate (15 mg, 0.027 mmol) in MeOH (0.5 mL) was treated with HCl (4.0M solution in dioxane, 2.0 mL) at room temperature for 2 h. Solvents were removed and the residue was treated with aqueous NaHCO₃, and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic layer was dried, evaporated to afford the desired intermediate as a yellowish solid (6.5 mg, yield 53%).

N-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorobenzyl)-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine: A solution of N-[(E)-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)methylidene]-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine (35 mg, 0.063 mmol) in MeOH (5 mL) was treated with excess amount of NaBH₄ under reflux. HPLC check indicated disappearance of the starting material. The mixture was diluted with aqueous NaHCO₃, and extracted with ethyl acetate. The organic solution was dried and evaporated.

Removal of the BOC protecting group was achieved using HCl/dioxane as described in Example 18 to afford the product as a white solid (27 mg. 94% yield).

EXAMPLE 28 N-[1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethyl]-6-[1-(piperidin-4-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-1-amine

The entitled compound was prepared as described in example 27 by condensing tert-butyl 4-[4-(1-amino-1H-pyrrolo[3,2-b]pyridin-6-yl)-1H-pyrazol-1-yl]piperidine-1-carboxylate (prepared in example 18:100 mg, 0.26 mmol) with 1-(2,6-dichloro-3-fluorophenyl)ethanone (excess). The reduction of imine and BOC-deprotection were also carried out as described in Example 27.

EXAMPLE 29 Biological Evaluation of Compounds

Compounds of this invention are evaluated in a variety of assays to determine their biological activities. For example, the compounds of the invention are tested for their ability to inhibit various protein kinases of interest. Some of the compounds tested displayed potent nanomolar activity against the kinase Alk. Furthermore some of these compounds were screened for antiproliferative activity in the human Karpas-299 and in the human SU-DHL-1 lymphoma cell lines. The compounds can also be evaluated for their cytotoxic or growth inhibitory effects on tumor cells of interest, e.g., as described in more detail below and as shown above for some representative compounds. See e.g., WO 03/000188, pages 115-136, the full contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Some representative compounds of this invention are depicted below:

Kinase Inhibition

More specifically, the compounds described herein are screened for kinase inhibition activity as follows. Kinases suitable for use in the following protocol include, but are not limited to: ALK, Jak2, b-Raf, c-Met, Tie-2, FLT3, Abl, Lck, Lyn, Src, Fyn, Syk, Zap-70, Itk, Tec, Btk, EGFR, ErbB2, Kdr, FLT1, Tek, InsR, and AKT.

Kinases are expressed as either kinase domains or full length constructs fused to glutathione S-transferase (GST) or polyHistidine tagged fusion proteins in either E. coli or Baculovirus-High Five expression systems. They are purified to near homogeneity by affinity chromatography as previously described (Lehr et al., 1996; Gish et al., 1995). In some instances, kinases are co-expressed or mixed with purified or partially purified regulatory polypeptides prior to measurement of activity.

Kinase activity and inhibition can be measured by established protocols (see e.g., Braunwalder et al., 1996). In such cases, the transfer of ³³P0₄ from ATP to the synthetic substrates poly(Glu, Tyr) 4:1 or poly(Arg, Ser) 3:1 attached to the bioactive surface of microtiter plates is taken as a measure of enzyme activity. After an incubation period, the amount of phosphate transferred is measured by first washing the plate with 0.5% phosphoric acid, adding liquid scintillant, and then counting in a liquid scintillation detector. The IC₅₀ is determined by the concentration of compound that causes a 50% reduction in the amount of ³³P incorporated onto the substrate bound to the plate.

Other methods relying upon the transfer of phosphate to peptide or polypeptide substrate containing tyrosine, serine, threonine or histidine, alone, in combination with each other, or in combination with other amino acids, in solution or immobilized (i.e., solid phase) are also useful.

For example, transfer of phosphate to a peptide or polypeptide can also be detected using scintillation proximity, Fluorescence Polarization and homogeneous time-resolved fluorescence. Alternatively, kinase activity can be measured using antibody-based methods in which an antibody or polypeptide is used as a reagent to detect phosphorylated target polypeptide.

For additional background information on such assay methodologies, see e, g., Braunwalder et al., 1996, Anal. Biochem. 234(1):23; Cleaveland et al., 1990, Anal Biochem. 190(2):249 Gish et al. (1995). Protein Eng. 8(6):609 Kolb et al. (1998). Drug Discov. Toda V. 3:333 Lehr et al. (1996). Gene 169(2):27527-87 Seethala et al. (1998). Anal Biochem. 255(2):257 Wu et al. (2000).

The inhibition of ALK tyrosine kinase activity can be demonstrated using known methods. For example, in one method, compounds can be tested for their ability to inhibit kinase activity of baculovirus-expressed ALK using a modification of the ELISA protocol reported for trkA in Angeles, T. S. et al., Anal. Biochem. 1996, 236, 49-55, which is incorporated herein by reference. Phosphorylation of the substrate, phopholipase C-gamma (PLC-γ) generated as a fusion protein with glutathione-S-transferase (GST) as reported in rotin, D. et al., EMBO J. 1992, 11, 559-567, which is incorporated by reference, can be detected with europium-labeled anti-phosphotyrosine antibody and measured by time-resolved fluorescence (TRF). In this assay, 96-well plate is coated with 100 μL/well of 10 μg/mL substrate (phospholipase C-γ in tris-buffered saline (TBS). The assay mixture (total volume=100 μL/well) consisting of 20 nM HEPES (pH 7.2, 1 μMATP (K_(m) level), 5 nM MnCl₂, 0.1% BSA, 2.5% DMSO, and various concentrations of test compound is then added to the assay plate. The reaction is initiated by adding the enzyme (30 ng/mL ALK) and is allowed to proceed at 37 degrees C. for 15 minutes. Detection of the phosphorylated product can be performed by adding 100 μL/well of Eu—N1 labeled PT66 antibody (Perkim Elmer # AD0041). Incubation at 37 degrees C. then proceeds for one hour, followed by addition of 100 □L enhancement solution (for example Wallac # 1244-105). The plate is gently agitated and after thirty minutes, the fluorescence of the resulting solution can be measured (for example using EnVision 2100 (or 2102) multilabel plate reader from Perkin Elmer).

Data analysis can then be performed. IC₅₀ values can be calculated by plotting percent inhibition versus log₁₀ of concentration of compound.

The inhibition of ALK tyrosine kinase activity can also be measured using the recombinant kinase domain of the ALK in analogy to VEDG-R kinase assay described in J. Wood et al., Cancer Res 2000, 60, 2178-2189. In vitro enzyme assays using GST-ALK protein tyrosine kinase can be performed in 96-well plate as a filter binding assay in 20 mMTris.HCl, pH 7.5, 3 mM MgCl₂, 10 mM MnCl₂, 1 nM DTT, 0.1 μCi/assay (=30 μL) [γ-³³P]-ATP, 2 μM ATP, 3 μg/mL poly (Glu, tyr 4:1) Poly-EY (sigma P-0275), 1% DMSO, 25 ng ALK enzyme. Assays can be incubated for 10 mM, at ambient temperature. Reactions can be terminated by adding 50 μL of 125 mM EDTA, and the reaction mixture can be transferred onto a MAIP Multiscreen plate (Millipore, Bedford, Mass.) previously wet with methanol, and rehydrated for 5 minutes with water. Following washing (0.5% H₃PO₄), plates can be counted in a liquid scintillation counter. IC₅₀ values are calculated by linear regression analysis of the percentage inhibition.

IC₅₀ values in the low nanomolar range have been observed for compounds of this invention against various kinases, including ALK and Met.

Cell-Based Assays

Certain compounds of this invention have also been demonstrated cytotoxic or growth inhibitory effects on tumor and other cancer cell lines and thus may be useful in the treatment of cancer and other cell proliferative diseases. Compounds are assayed for anti-tumor activity using in vivo and in vitro assays which are well known to those skilled in the art. Generally, initial screens of compounds to identify candidate anti-cancer drugs are performed in cellular assays. Compounds identified as having anti-proliferative activity in such cell-based assays can then be subsequently assayed in whole organisms for anti-tumor activity and toxicity. Generally speaking, cell-based screens can be performed more rapidly and cost-effectively relative to assays that use whole organisms. For purposes of this invention, the terms “anti-tumor” and “anti-cancer” activity are used interchangeably.

Cell-based methods for measuring antiproliferative activity are well known and can be used for comparative characterization of compounds of this invention. In general, cell proliferation and cell viability assays are designed to provide a detectable signal when cells are metabolically active. Compounds may be tested for antiproliferative activity by measuring any observed decrease in metabolic activity of the cells after exposure of the cells to compound. Commonly used methods include, for example, measurement of membrane integrity (as a measure of cell viability)(e.g. using trypan blue exclusion) or measurement of DNA synthesis (e.g. by measuring incorporation of BrdU or 3H-thymidine).

Some methods for assaying cell proliferation use a reagent that is converted into a detectable compound during cell proliferation. Particularly preferred compounds are tetrazolium salts and include without limitation MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, Mo.), MTS (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium), XTT (2,3-bis(2-Methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide), INT, NBT, and NTV (Bernas et al. Biochim Biophys Acta 1451(1):73-81, 1999). More commonly used assays utilizing tetrazolium salts detect cell proliferation by detecting the product of the enzymatic conversion of the tetrazolium salts into blue formazan derivatives, which are readily detected by spectroscopic methods (Mosman. J. Immunol. Methods. 65:55-63, 1983).

Other methods for assaying cell proliferation involve incubating cells in a desired growth medium with and without the compounds to be tested. Growth conditions for various prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells are well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art (Ausubel et al. Current Protocols in Molecular Biology. Wiley and Sons. 1999; Bonifacino et al. Current Protocols in Cell Biology. Wiley and Sons. 1999 both incorporated herein by reference). To detect cell proliferation, the tetrazolium salts are added to the incubated cultured cells to allow enzymatic conversion to the detectable product by active cells. Cells are processed, and the optical density of the cells is determined to measure the amount of formazan derivatives. Furthermore, commercially available kits, including reagents and protocols, are available for examples, from Promega Corporation (Madison, Wis.), Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, Mo.), and Trevigen (Gaithersburg, Md.).

In addition, a wide variety of cell types may be used to screen compounds for antiproliferative activity, including the following cell lines, among others: COLO 205 (colon cancer), DLD-1 (colon cancer), HCT-15 (colon cancer), HT29 (colon cancer), HEP G2 (Hepatoma), K-562 (Leukemia), A549 (Lung), NCI-H249 (Lung), MCF7 (Mammary), MDA-MB-231 (Mammary), SAOS-2 (Osteosarcoma), OVCAR-3 (Ovarian), PANC-1 (Pancreas), DU-145 (Prostate), PC-3 (Prostate), ACHN (Renal), CAKI-1 (Renal), MG-63 (Sarcoma).

While the cell line is preferably mammalian, lower order eukaryotic cells such as yeast may also be used to screen compounds. Preferred mammalian cell lines are derived from humans, rats, mice, rabbits, monkeys, hamsters, and guinea pigs since cells lines from these organisms are well-studied and characterized. However, others may be used as well.

Suitable mammalian cell lines are often derived from tumors. For example, the following tumor cell-types may be sources of cells for culturing cells: melanoma, myeloid leukemia, carcinomas of the lung, breast, ovaries, colon, kidney, prostate, pancreas and testes), cardiomyocytes, endothelial cells, epithelial cells, lymphocytes (T-cell and B cell), mast cells, eosinophils, vascular intimal cells, hepatocytes, leukocytes including mononuclear leukocytes, stem cells such as haemopoetic, neural, skin, lung, kidney, liver and myocyte stem cells (for use in screening for differentiation and de-differentiation factors), osteoclasts, chondrocytes and other connective tissue cells, keratinocytes, melanocytes, liver cells, kidney cells, and adipocytes. Non-limiting examples of mammalian cells lines that have been widely used by researchers include HeLa, NIH/3T3, HT1080, CHO, COS-1, 293T, WI-38 and CV1/EBNA-1.

Other cellular assays may be used which rely upon a reporter gene to detect metabolically active cells. Non-limiting examples of reporter gene expression systems include green fluorescent protein (GFP), and luciferase. As an example of the use of GFP to screen for potential antitumor drugs, Sandman et al. (Chem. Biol. 6:541-51; incorporated herein by reference) used HeLa cells containing an inducible variant of GFP to detect compounds that inhibited expression of the GFP, and thus inhibited cell proliferation.

An example of cell-based assay is shown as below. The cell lines that can be used in the assay are Ba/F3, a murine pro-B cell line, which has been stably transfected with an expression vector PClneo™ (Promega Corp., Madison Wis.) coding for NPM-ALK and subsequent selection of G418 resistant cells. Non-transfected Ba/F3 cells depend on IL-3 for cell survival. In contrast NPM-ALK expressing Ba/F3 cells (named Ba/F3-NPM-ALK) can proliferate in the absence of IL-3 because they obtain proliferative signal through NMP-ALK kinase. Putative inhibitors of NPM-ALK kinase therefore abolish the growth signal and result in antiproliferative activity. The antiproliferative activity of inhibitors of the NPM-ALK kinase can however be overcome by addition of IL-3 which provides growth signals through an NPM-ALK independent mechanism. For an analogous cell system using FLT3 kinase see E. Weisberg et al. Cancer cell, 2002, 1, 433-443. The inhibitory activity of the compounds of formula I can be determined as follows: BaF3-NPM-ALK cells (15,000/microtitre plate well) can be transferred to a 96-well microtitre plates. The test compound (dissolved in DMSO) is then added in a series of concentrations (dilution series) in such a manner that the final concentration of DMSO is not greater than 1% (v/v). After the addition, the plates can be incubated for two days during which the control cultures without test compound are able to undergo two cell-division cycles. The growth of BaF3-NPM-ALK cells can be measured by means of Yopro™ staining (T Idziorek et al., J. Immunol. Methods 1995, 185, 249-258). 25 μL of lysis buffer consisting of 20 mM sodium citrate, pH 4.0, 26.8 nM sodium chloride, 0.4% NP40, 20 mM EDTA and 20 mM is added into each well. Cell lysis is completed within 60 minutes at room temperature and total amount of Yopro bound to DNA is determined by measurement using for example a CytoFluor II 96-well reader (PerSeptive Biosystems). The IC₅₀ can be determined by a computer aided system using the formula:

IC₅₀=[(ABS_(test)−ABS_(start))/(ABS_(control)−ABS_(start))]×100 in which ABS is absorption. The IC₅₀ value in such an experiment is given as that concentration of the test compound in question that results in a cell count that is 50% lower than that obtained using the control without inhibitor.

The antiproliferative action of the compounds of this invention can also be determined in the human KARPAS-299 lymphoma cell line by means of an immunoblot as described in WG Dirks et al. Int. J. Cancer 2002, 100, 49-56., using the methodology described above for the BaF3-NPM-ALK cell line.

In another example, antiproliferative activity can be determined using KARPAS-299 lumphoma cell line in the following procedure: Compounds of the invention were incubated with the cells for 3 days, and the number of viable cells in each well was measured indirectly using an MTS tetrazolium assay (Promega). This assay is a colorimetric method for determining the number of viable cells through measurement of their metabolic activity. For example the detection of the product of the enzymatic conversion of tetrazolium salts into blue formazan derivatives is achieved by measuring absorbance at 490 nm using a plate reader. 40 μL of the MTS reagent was added to all wells except the edge wells and then the plates were returned to the incubator at 37° C. for 2 hours. The absorbance in each well was then measured at 490 nm using a Wallac Victor²V plate reader. The IC₅₀ was calculated by determining the concentration of compound required to decrease the MTS signal by 50% in best-fit curves using Microsoft XLfit software, by comparing with baseline, the DMSO control, as 0% inhibition.

Several compounds of Formula I exhibit inhibitory activity with an IC₅₀ in the range of 10 nM to 200 nM.

Compounds identified by such cellular assays as having anti-cell proliferation activity are then tested for anti-tumor activity in whole organisms. Preferably, the organisms are mammalian. Well-characterized mammalians systems for studying cancer include rodents such as rats and mice. Typically, a tumor of interest is transplanted into a mouse having a reduced ability to mount an immune response to the tumor to reduce the likelihood of rejection. Such mice include for example, nude mice (athymic) and SCID (severe combined immunodeficiency) mice. Other transgenic mice such as oncogene containing mice may be used in the present assays (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,866 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,383). For a review and discussion on the use of rodent models for antitumor drug testing see Kerbel (Cancer Metastasis Rev. 17:301-304, 1998-99).

In general, the tumors of interest are implanted in a test organism preferably subcutaneously. The organism containing the tumor is treated with doses of candidate anti-tumor compounds. The size of the tumor is periodically measured to determine the effects of the test compound on the tumor. Some tumor types are implanted at sites other than subcutaneous sites (e.g. intraperitoneal sites) and survival is measured as the endpoint. Parameters to be assayed with routine screening include different tumor models, various tumor and drug routes, and dose amounts and schedule. For a review of the use of mice in detecting antitumor compounds see Corbett et al. (Invest New Drugs. 15:207-218, 1997; incorporated herein by reference).

Example 30 Pharmaceutical Compositions

Representative pharmaceutical dosage forms of the compounds of this invention (the active ingredient being referred to as “Compound”), are provided for therapeutic or prophylactic use in humans:

(a) Tablet I mg/tablet Compound 100 Lactose Ph.Eur 182.75 Croscarmellose sodium 12.0 Maize starch paste (5% w/v paste) 2.25 Magnesium stearate 3.0

(b) Tablet II mg/tablet Compound 50 Lactose Ph.Eur 223.75 Croscarmellose sodium 6.0 Maize starch 15.0 Polyvinylpyffolidone (5% w/v paste) 2.25 Magnesium stearate 3.0

(c) Tablet III mg/tablet Compound 1.0 Lactose Ph.Eur 93.25 Croscarmellose sodium 4.0 Maize starch paste (5% w/v paste) 0.75 Magnesium stearate 1.0-76

(d) Capsule mg/capsule Compound 10 Lactose Ph.Eur 488.5 Magnesium 1.5

(e) Injection I (50 mg/ml) Compound  5.0% w/v 1M Sodium hydroxide solution 15.0% v/v 0. IM Hydrochloric acid (to adjust pH to 7.6)  4.5% w/v Polyethylene glycol 400

Water for injection to 100%

(f) Injection II (10 mg/ml) Compound  1.0% W/v Sodium phosphate BP  3.6% w/v O. 1M Sodium hydroxide solution 15.0% v/v

Water for injection to 100%

(g) Injection III (1 mg/ml, buffered to pH6) Compound  0.1% w/v Sodium phosphate BP 2.26% w/v Citric acid 0.38% w/v Polyethylene glycol 400  3.5% w/v

Water for injection to 100%

(h) Aerosol 1 mg/ml Compound 10.0 Sorbitan trioleate 13.5 Trichlorofluoromethane 910.0 Dichlorodifluoromethane 490.0

(i) Aerosol II mg/ml Compound 0.2 Sorbitan trioleate 0.27 Trichlorofluoromethane 70.0 Dichlorodifluoromethane 280.0 Dichlorotetrafluoroethane 1094.0

(j) Aerosol III mg/ml Compound 2.5 Sorbitan trioleate 3.38 Trichlorofluoromethane 67.5 Dichlorodifluoromethane 1086.0 Dichlorotetrafluoroethane 191.6

(k) Aerosol IV mg/ml Compound 2.5 Soya lecithin 2.7 Trichlorofluoromethane 67.5 Dichlorodifluoromethane 1086.0 Dichlorotetrafluoroethane 191.6

(1) Ointment ml Compound  40 mg Ethanol 300 μl Water 300 μl 1-Dodecylazacycloheptan one  50 μl Propylene glycol   1 ml Note: These formulations may be prepared using conventional procedures well known in the pharmaceutical art. The tablets (a)-(c) may be enteric coated by conventional means, if desired to provide a coating of cellulose acetate phthalate, for example. The aerosol formulations (h)-(k) may be used in conjunction with standard, metered dose aerosol dispensers, and the suspending agents sorbitan trioleate and soya lecithin may be replaced by an alternative suspending agent such as sorbitan monooleate, sorbitan sesquioleate, polysorbate 80, polyglycerol oleate or oleic acid. 

The invention claimed is:
 1. A compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of Formula 1:

wherein Ring A is selected from:

Ring B is a 5-membered heteroaryl ring comprising carbon atoms and 1 to 3 nitrogen atoms; L¹ is CR⁴R⁵ or a bond; X is O or NR⁴; Ring C is an aryl, a 3- to 8-membered carbocyclyl or a 5-, 6- or 7- membered heterocyclic or heteroaryl ring comprising carbon atoms and 1-4 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N, P(O) and S(O)_(r); Ring D is an aryl or a 5- or 6-membered heteroaryl ring comprising carbon atoms and 1 to 4 heteroatoms independently selected from O, N and S; R^(a)and R^(d) are independently selected from the group consisting of halo, —CN, —NO₂, —R¹, —OR², —O —NR¹R², —NR¹R², —NR¹—NR¹R², —NR¹—OR—², —C(O)YR², —OC(O)YR², —NR¹C(O)YR², —SC(O)YR², —NR¹C(═S)YR², —OC(═S)YR², —C(═S)YR², —YC(═NR¹)YR², —YC(═N—OR¹)YR², —YC(═N—NR¹R²)YR², —YP(═O)(YR³)(YR³), —Si(R³)₃, —NR¹SO₂R², —S(O)_(r)R², —SO₂NR¹R² and —NR¹SO₂NR¹R²; R^(c) is R^(a) or ═O or ═S; or alternatively two adjacent R^(a) moieties, two adjacent R^(c) moieties or two adjacent R^(d) moieties can form with the atoms to which they are attached a 5-, 6- or 7-membered saturated, partially saturated or unsaturated ring, optionally substituted; and which contains 0-4 heteroatoms selected from N,O, P(O) and S(O)_(r); r is 0, 1 or 2; n is 0, 1 or 2; p is 0, 1,2,3,4 or 5; s is 0, 1,2,3,4 or 5; each occurrence of Y is independently a bond, —O —, —S— or —NR¹—; each occurrence of R¹ and R² is independently selected from H, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, aryl, heterocyclic and heteroaryl; each occurrence of R³ is independently selected from alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, aryl, heterocyclic and heteroaryl; R⁴ and R⁵ are independently selected from H or a C₁₋₆alkyl; alternatively, each NR¹R² moiety may be a 5-, 6- or 7-membered saturated, partially saturated or unsaturated ring, which can be optionally substituted and which contains 0-3 additional heteroatoms selected from N, O,P(O) and S(O)_(r); and each of the foregoing alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, cycloalkynyl, aryl, heteroaryl and heterocyclic moiety is optionally substituted.
 2. The compound of claim 1, or a tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in which Ring B is selected from the following:


3. The compound of any of claim 1 or 2, or a tautomer or phaimaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in which X is O.
 4. The compound of any of claim 1 or 2, or a tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in which X is NR⁴.
 5. The compound of any of claim 1 or 2, or a tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in which Ring D is an optionally substituted aryl group.
 6. The compound of any of claim 1 or 2, or a tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in which Ring D is an optionally substituted 5- or 6-membered heteroaryl group.
 7. The compound of any of claim 1 or 2, or a tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in which Ring C is an optionally substituted aryl.
 8. The compound of any of claim 1 or 2, or a tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in which Ring C is an optionally substituted 5-membered ring heteroaryl.
 9. The compound of claim 8, or a tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, in which Ring C is an optionally substituted pyrazole.
 10. The compound of claim 1, or a tautomer or phannaceutically acceptable salt thereof, of Formula VI or Formula VI:


11. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 10 in which X is NR⁴.
 12. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 10 in which X is O.
 13. The compound, tautomer or phatinaceutically acceptable salt of claim 11 in which L^(l) is CR⁴R⁵.
 14. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 13 in which L¹ is CH₂ or CH(CH₃).
 15. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 10 in which Ring D is an optionally substituted 5- or 6-membered heteroaryl ring.
 16. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 10 in which Ring D is an optionally substituted aryl ring.
 17. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 10 in which R^(c) is an optionally substituted alkyl or an optionally substituted heterocycyl ring.
 18. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 17 in which R^(c) is selected from piperidine or pyrrolidine.
 19. Compounds of claim 1 of a formula selected from the following:


20. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 19 in which Ring C is an optionally substituted phenyl or an optionally substituted pyrazole and Ring D is an optionally substituted phenyl.
 21. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 1 in which p is 1, 2 or 3; each R^(d) is independently selected from halo or CF₃, n is 0 or 0 or 1 and R^(c) is lower alkyl, halo, heterocyclyl, aryl, heteroaryl, arylalkyl, heteroarylalkyl, heterocyclylalkyl, SO₂NH₂, SO₂NH(alkyl), SO₂N(alkyl)₂, O -alkyl, S-alkyl, C(═O)alkyl, NH₂, NH-alkyl, N(Alkyl)₂, C(O)NH₂, C(═O)NH(alkyl) or C(═O )N(alkyl)₂.
 22. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 15 in which X is NR⁴.
 23. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 15 in which X is O.
 24. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 15 in which in which L¹ is CR⁴R⁵.
 25. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 24 in which L¹ is CH₂ or CH(CH₃).
 26. The compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of claim 12 in which L¹ is CR⁴R⁵.
 27. A method for treating breast cancer in a mammal in need thereof, comprising administering to the mammal a therapeutically effective amount of a compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of the claims 1, 2, 10, 19, 20, 21 or 22-26; or a phaimaceutically acceptable salt, solvate or hydrate thereof.
 28. A composition comprising a compound, tautomer or pharmaceutically acceptable salt of any of the claims 1, 2, 10, 19, 20, 21, 22, or 23-26 and a pharmaceutical carrier, diluent or vehicle. 